Love you, Weasel - on hold and under editing
by DragonsFairy24
Summary: Nothing is more terrifying then being reborn into a family you know is destined to die. But can the newly named Haruka Uchiha do anything to change her fate? Or change the fate of those around her? She would love to make it past Genin and maybe have her own Genin team. Only time can tell. (ItachiXSelf-Insert!OC) (Part 1 of the Love You Series)
1. My New Life

My New Life

'**One minute I'm walking home from school, not giving a shit about what anyone else is doing, and the next, I'm being gunned down by some crazy with a gun who's screaming about how women don't like him and shit.**

**I don't remember how many times I was hit, but I remember not being able to feel after a while and people screaming. Then everything faded to black. I remember thinking that this was the end, but at least I got to go to Disneyland the week before. Probably not what I should have been thinking about, but whatever. **

**Now I'm in a tight and dark place. I'm trying to stretch but I can't. I keep trying to move, but I can't. Where the fuck am I!?**

**I keep turning, kicking, and trying to punch, but I feel like I can't move my body right. It's funny. I think I've read way too much fanfiction. This is crazy, but what if I've been reborn? If that's the case, then that means I can pretend to be a genius! Awesome!**

**I wonder how long I've been here. I've had to have been here a while. Wait. Why does it feel like I'm moving!? HOLLY FUCK! AM I BEING BORN! WHATS TOUCHING MY HEAD! WHY DOES THIS FEEL SO WEIRD? AMD I CRYING?'**

"It's a girl," said a male voice.

'**How am I able to tell that it's a male, I'm not sure. It might have to do with the fact that I'm not the age I'm supposed to be mentally,'** thought a female as she feet herself being moved around.

"What are you two going to name her?" said another male voice.

"Haruka," said a female voice.

'**I'm going to guess that this is my mother,' **thought the newborn as she felt herself being wrapped up and passed to someone else.

"Haruka Uchiha. That's the perfect name for her," said the second male.

'**WAIT! Did he just say Uchiha? A coincidence? Maybe? But could I really be in the world of Naruto? And if so, where in the timeline am I? FUCK! IS ITACHI GOING TO KILL ME!? WAIT!' **thought the newly named Haruka as she started to cry harder.

"It's okay my little princess. Everything is alright," said one of the male voices as.

'**I'm guessing my father. But why is he saying that?'**

"She must feel weird. I'll go clean her up if you two want," said the other male voice.

'**Oh! I must be crying harder than I thought!' **

"Thank you doctor," said the female voice. She then gave her newborn child to the man.

**'What is going on? I guess I'll just have to wait it out. I have to go through puberty again! Fuck my life! But, if I did end up in Naruto, maybe I can change some things, though that does depend on where I ended up in the timeline,'** thought Haruka as she was carried away to be cleaned. **'Only time can tell.'**


	2. Five Years Later

5 Years Later

"Happy fifth birthday Haruka!" said a women with long dark black/blueish hair and coal black eyes. She wore a dark blue top with a white and red fan on the back and dark pants with blue ninja sandals. She smiled at the little girl whose birthday it was.

'**Ai, I mean** **Mom is always happy,'** thought Haruka as she moved her long, dark brown hair over her shoulder. Her coal black eyes looking at her mother.

"Yes! Happy birthday baby girl!" said a man with dark brown hair and coal black eyes. He wore a black shirt with a high open collar, the same design of a fan on the back. He wore baggy white pants and blue ninja sandals.

'**So hyper! How is Kasai, I mean dad, an Uchiha?'**

"We can start training her now!" yelled a man in excitement. He looked much like the women, but with spiky hair. He wore a shirt similar to the Kasai's, but in dark blue. He wore a similar pants and ninja sandals.

'**And there is uncle Anzen's excitement,'** thought Haruka with a sweat drop.

"Now Anzen," said Ai as she looked at her brother, "let me dress her up for the day!"

"Alright Ai, we're going," said Kasai with a laugh as he dragged his brother-in-law out of the room.

"Now let's dress you up," said Ai as she picked up her, now, 5-year-old daughter.

'**Mom is always so loving, maybe now I can ask about the Uchiha's? I need to get more info. I know that clan is around, but for how much longer?'** thought Haruka as her mother went and got a box.

"I want to give these to you. It's a new outfit! It will look good when you train!" said Ai with happiness as she gave the box to her daughter.

"Thank you mommy!" said Haruka as she took the box and opened it. She pulled out a shirt similar to her fathers, a pair of pants like her mothers, and a pair of blue ninja sandals. There was also a weapons holder with an assortment of weapons.

"Do you need help?" asked Ai as she walked toward her daughter.

"No! I'm fine!" said Haruka as she started to change**. 'I'm older than you think!'**

"At least let me help you with your hair," said Ai as she put the girl's hair into a pony tail.

"Thank you," said Haruka. **'Have to let her do something, I'm still physically a child.'**

"Let's go see your uncle and father."

"Right!" said Haruka as she walked outside of the house.

"There's the birthday girl!" said Kasai with a big smile on his face.

"She looks ready to train!" said Anzen with an equally big smile.

'**They are really expressive for Uchiha's, but they are definitely not when we are out in public,'** thought Haruka as she looked at her family. **'Maybe I should ask about it?'**

"Oto-san?" asked Haruka.

"Yes?" asked her father with a raised eyebrow.

"How come at home everyone is happy, but not when we go out?"

"Well," started her father as he looked at his wife and brother-in-law.

"You see, Haruka, we are part of the greatest clan the village has ever known, the Uchiha Clan. As such, we have a certain image to uphold," explained Ai.

"Image?" asked Haruka with a tilted head. **'What does she mean? Looking like assholes?'**

"The Uchiha Clan in a proper clan. We hold everyone to a higher standard," said Kasai as he kneeled in front of Haruka. "We are expected to act a certain way from the elders, and we do so, but always remember one thing: when you are home, you can truly be at ease and be yourself."

"Okay!" said Haruka with a smile. '**So, we have to act like assholes because of the clan elders but are free to act like ourselves while away from the outside world. Well that's fucked up.'**

"Anyway, we have good news for you, Haruka," said Anzen with a grin.

"What is it?" asked Haruka, curiously.

"Well, we enrolled you for the Academy! That's part one. Part two is that we are going to start your training!" said Ai with a big smile.

"I'm gonna be a ninja like Oto-san and Oji-san?"

"And like Oka-san too!" said Ai with a smirk.

"Oka-san was a ninja?" asked Haruka. **'I didn't know that, but I should have guessed it.'**

"Hai! The only reason I'm not anymore is because your Oto-san is to stupid to take care of a child!" said Ai with a smile, making her brother laugh and her husband fall over.

"I'm unloved," said Kasai as he got on his looked at his wife.

"It's okay Oto-san, someone will love you one day!" said Haruka with an innocent smile**. 'I'm so mean, but this is funny.'**

"Well, we know who she takes after," said Anzen with a smirk.

"Shut up," said Kasai with a glare.

"Anyway, since it's your birthday, let's go and get some dango and then we can buy you some ninja gear!" said Ai with a smile.

"Okay," said Haruka as she took her mothers hand and the four left their house.

As they walked to the Dango Shop, the adults told Haruka about how she was going to be trained and how things would go at the Academy. Haruka listened intently and asked questions, trying to get as much information as she could.

'The more info I have, the better everything would be fore me later,' she thought as they walked into the Dango shop.

"Ai!" said a female voice. The family turned around to see a beautiful women with a round tummy.

'Is that Mikoto?' thought Haruka in shock.

"Mikoto! How are you?" said Ai as she went to her friend and hugged her.

"I'm doing fine," she said with a smile and hugged the other two men, though they looked uncomfortable.

'**I guess Uchiha men are scared of hugs,' **though Haruka as she giggled, causing Mikoto to look at her.

"And is this Haruka-chan? You're all grown up!" she said with a smile as she bent down to hug the young girl.

"Thank you, Mikoto-san," said Haruka with a blush.

"And where is Itachi-kun?" asked Anzen with a straight face.

"Right here, sir," said a young boys voice. Haruka turned to see a very young Itachi looking at her uncle, only for him to turn and look at her.

'**So cute,'** she thought with a small blush. **'I want to hug him!'**

"Hi," said Itachi with a small smile.

"Hi," replied Haruka with a blush.

"Today is Haruka's fifth birthday! We came to get her dango," said Ai with a smile at the children.

"Oh! How nice! I came because I've been craving dango. I blame this little one," said Mikoto as she patted her stomach.

"When will the child be born?" asked Kasai with an emotionless face.

"Soon, he likes to kick a lot, so soon," said Mikoto as she then looked at Haruka. "Do you want to feel him kick?"

"I can?" asked a bewildered Haruka causing everyone to smile at her.

"Of course! Come here," said Mikoto as she grabbed the girl's hand and put it on her stomach. After a few seconds, Haruka's eye widened. She then looked at Itachi and grabbed his hand, shocking everyone.

"Feel him!" she simply said as she put his hand on Mikoto's stomach. Itachi looked at her confused, but then had the same expression as her as he felt his younger brother kick. The adults watched with smiles as the children kept feeling for the baby's kicks.

"Well then, let's go eat," said Ai as she and Mikoto guided the children to a seat and ordered some sweets.

"Haruka-chan, are you going to go to the Academy soon?" asked Itachi as the two ate from their plates.

"Yeah, next year. What about you?" asked Haruka as she munched on her food. **'Though, I bet I already know.'**

"Next year, too. Maybe we will be in the same class," said Itachi as he smiled at her.

"Good, I want to have a friend!" said Haruka with a smile as she then hugged Itachi, shocking him, Ai and Mikoto just smiled at the two.** 'I need to get close so that I can figure out a way to change things. I may not be able to save the Uchiha clan, but I have to figure out a way to save myself to be able to change other things.'**

"Isn't that sweet," said Mikoto as the adults watch the two children. "I think they like each other."

"Already planning for grandchildren?" asked Anzen with a smirk.

"Never to early!" said Ai as she watched the two interact. She then turned to Mikoto. "So, do you know when they baby is due?"

"Sometime next month," said Mikoto as touched her stomach. She then looked at the children again as the two shared some of their sweets.

"They get along well," said Kasai as he looked at the two.

"They do. I was wondering, could we make a play date fore them. I want Itachi to have a least one friend. Fugaku keeps pushing him, I want him to have at least somewhat of a childhood."

"Of course," said Ai as she grabbed her friends' hand. "Come on over, anytime. Or send Itachi-kun over. I think it would be good for Haruka as well."

"Thank you," said Mikoto as she got up. "Well, I think that it's time to go. Say bye to your friend, Itachi. You can see her next week."

"Yes, Oka-san," said Itachi as he stood up and smiled at Haruka. "Bye Haruka-Chan, and happy birthday."

"Bye, Itachi-kun," said Haruka as she hugged Itachi, shocking the boy, again. He had a light blush as he hugged her back, causing both mothers to giggle. **'Hopefully this is the start of change.'**

"Bye, Mikoto, Itachi-kun," said Ai as her husband and brother just nodded as the two left. She then turned to her daughter. "Are you ready to go to the store to get your ninja gear? Then we can go home and open up your presents."

"Okay," said Haruka as she grabbed her mom's hand. The family then walked out of the shop and toward the shopping district.

'**Hopefully, now that I know where I am in the time line, I can plan. So much to do in so little time. The likely hood of me stopping the Uchiha massacre is almost non-existent, but perhaps I can save myself, and in turn, save Itachi and maybe even Neji in the future. I'll have to take it one step at a time.'**

"Oto-san, when can I start training?" asked Haruka as she looked at her father.

"We can start tomorrow," he said as he gave her a soft smile.

"Hai!" said Haruka with a smile. **'I need to be stronger. The sooner I start training, the better.'**


	3. Hello Sasuke-kun!

Hello Sasuke-kun!

'**It's been almost a month since I met Itachi. I've only been able to hang out with him a few times. Fugaku really works Itachi hard. He seems so confused when I hug him so much,'** thought Haruka to herself as she threw her shuriken.

"Haruka! Itachi-kun is here!" yelled Ai from inside the house. Haruka turned around to see Itachi coming outside.

"Hi Itachi-kun!" yelled Haruka as she went and hugged her friend. Itachi smiled and hugged back with a small blush.

"Hi Haruka-chan," he said, causing the two mothers to squeal.

"Itachi-kun! Practice with me!" said Haruka as she pulled the boy with her. **'If I learn from him, that could help me get farther in this shitty yet cool world.'**

"Sure," said Itachi as he grabbed a shuriken and started to help her throw them. "Move your body like this."

"I did it!" said Haruka as she hit the target in the middle.

"Good job," said Itachi with a small smile.

"Wonderful," said Mikoto as she and Ai watched the children.

"She even has the hang of the Great Fire Ball Jutsu," said Ai with pride.

"Does she?" asked Mikoto in surprise.

"I would like to see that," said Itachi with a smile.

"Show them Haruka," said Ai with a smile.

"Right!" said Haruka as she did the signs for it. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

Haruka released a fire ball from her mouth. Though it wasn't that big, it was impressive.

"That's great, Haruka-chan!" said Mikoto in happiness.

"Your turn, Itachi-kun!" declared Haruka. **'I have to see where I stack up now so that I can train better.'**

"Right," said Itachi as he did the hand signs. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

"Wow," was all Haruka could say as Itachi released a huge fireball. 'Mine isn't even half of that!'

"Wonderful, Itachi-kun!" said Ai in astonishment.

"He's our little prodigy!" said Mikoto with pride. She then made a painful face as she grabbed her stomach.

"Mikoto! What's wrong?" asked Ai toward her friend, causing the children to turn to her and run over.

"Oka-san?" asked Itachi in fear.

"I think the baby is ready," said Mikoto as her water broke.

"Shit! Itachi, Haruka! I need the two of you to go to the hospital and tell them to get ready! I'll bring Mikoto!" said Ai.

"I'll bring her," said Anzen as he appeared. "Didn't think this was what I would walk into when I came to visit. Kids, go get Fugaku-san."

"Right," said the children as they ran off.

'**Could you of picked a better time, Sasuke,'** thought Haruka as she and Itachi raced to the Uchiha Police Headquarters. **'It's a good thing I came with Itachi, I feel like they wouldn't have let me in.'**

"Oto-san!" yelled Itachi as he and Haruka ran into his office.

"Itachi! What is wrong with you!" said Fugaku in anger. "You have no right to barge in like that!"

"That baby is coming!" yelled Haruka in anger. **'Fucking asshole.'**

"What?" he said in shock.

"Anzen-san and Ai-san are taking her to the hospital now!" replied Itachi in anger. He turned around and grabbed Haruka's hand and ran out of the room. He pulled her out of the building and started to run toward the hospital.

'**I don't think I've seen him angry. I didn't think he could get angry like that,'** thought Haruka as she let Itachi pull her. She was about to say something to him when she felt herself be lifted into the air. She blinked and look forward to see Itachi who also looked confused.

Both kids looked to the side to see Fugaku carrying them with a determined face. He jumped from roof to roof to try to get to the hospital faster.

'**Well then, this is shocking,'** thought Haruka as she looked at Itachi who looked just as shocked as her**. 'He must really want to see Sasuke.'**

The two children stayed quite as they were carried to the hospital. Once they finally reached the hospital, Fugaku simply held onto the children until he found Ai and Anzen. Once he walked up to them, he put the kids down.

"How is she?" he asked the two adults.

"She's asking for you. I would suggest going in and seeing her," said Ai with a kind smile. Fugaku nodded and walked in.

"Good job, you two," said Anzen with a smile as he patted the two on the head. "Let's go get some snacks while we wait."

"Yes," said Ai with a smile as she bent down to look at the two. "Go on now."

"Okay," said Itachi as he grabbed Haruka's hand and pulled her along after Anzen.

_**~After Some Time~**_

"Itachi-kun," said a nurse as she walked out, "you're parents are waiting for you."

"Right," said Itachi as he got out of his chair. He looked back at Haruka with a somewhat scared look.

'**He must be terrified,'** thought Haruka as she smiled at the boy. "You're a big brother now! That's so cool! I bet you're gonna be the best!"

"Thanks," said Itachi with a slight blush as he turned and walked into the room.

"You're such a smart girl, Haruka," said Ai as she smiled at her daughter.

"What do you mean, Oka-san?" asked Haruka. **'Did she notice something?'**

"You knew Itachi-kun was afraid, so you reassured him. Having emotional intelligence is very important."

"I see. When is Oto-san coming home?"

"He should be returning from his mission by the end of the week," said Anzen as he patted his niece on the head.

The three waited outside until Itachi came out.

"Would you like to meet Sasuke?" asked Itachi with a smile, thought the question seemed to be directed to Haruka.

"Yeah!" she said as she got off her seat. The two adults followed the children in and up to Mikoto's bed.

"Say hello to Sasuke," said Mikoto as she showed Haruka.

"Cute," said Haruka as she poked Sasuke's cheek. The boy opened his eyes and looked at the older girl.** 'Shit, doesn't he hate everyone but his brother at this point?'**

"Looks like he likes you," said Mikoto as Sasuke let out a little giggle, shocking Haruka.

"He's adorable, Mikoto," said Ai as she fawned over the new baby.

"He is!" agreed Haruka with a smile and Itachi nodded.

"Now, ladies, why don't we let Mikoto rest and let the family be together," said Anzen as he picked up Haruka and started to walk out. "Rest up, Mikoto-san."

"Bye Itachi-kun! Sasuke-kun!" said Haruka as her family walked out of the room, hearing Sasuke let out a giggle at his name.

"Bye, Haruka-chan!" said Itachi with a smile as everyone parted ways.

_**~A Few Days Later~**_

"Oto-san should be home soon," mumbled Haruka as she practiced throwing kunai. **'Hopefully he will be able to up my training.'**

"Haruka, time for dinner," said Ai from the porch.

"Coming, Oka-san!" said Haruka as she ran to the porch.

"Now go and wash your hands!"

"Hai! Hai!" said Haruka as she ran to the bathroom. **'I wonder what's for dinner?'**

Haruka washed her hands as any good child would, and then walked back toward the kitchen.

"Oka-san?" asked Haruka as she noticed her mom wasn't there. **'Where'd she go?'**

"No!" yelled a voice from the front of the house. Haruka knew it was her mothers.

"Oka-san!" yelled Haruka as she ran toward her mother's voice. She ran into the room to see her mother on her knees, crying, as he uncle held her. "Oji-san?"

"Haruka," said her mother as she put her hands out for her daughter. Haruka went into her mother's arms, confused.

'**Why is Oji-san here? Why is Oka-san crying? The only thing I can think of is, could father be?'**

"Oto-san?" asked Haruka out loud to her uncle who simply looked at her with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said as he hugged his sister and niece. Haruka then started crying.

'**This pain. It's been so long since I've lost someone like this. It's not fair, but this life isn't fair. I need to be stronger, for my family.'**

_**~Two Days Later~**_

The Uchiha clan was gathered for the funeral of Kasai Uchiha. Kasai had died protecting his team from an enemy rouge ninja who the team was sent to eliminate. Haruka simply looked at the picture of her father in sadness. She looked stood in-between her mother and uncle.

'**Life is quick to begin and quick to end. Oto-san died protecting others, that's a good way to go. A hero for others,'** thought Haruka as people started to leave the service.

"Ai-san," said Fugaku as he and his family walked up to Haruka and her family.

"Fugaku-san," replied Ai.

"Oh, Ai!" said Mikoto as she hugged her friend. The two women began to cry while Haruka looked at the ground with tears in her eyes.

"He was a great man," said Fugaku, pulling Haruka's attention to him. He was looking directly at her. She nodded at him. Itachi then walked up to her, holding Sasuke.

"Hi," said Itachi.

"Hi," replied Haruka as she gave him a small smile. Sasuke started to make noise. Haruka looked at him and touched his cheek, causing Sasuke to stop and look at her and smile.

"Sasuke really likes you," said Itachi, not being able to say anything else.

"Sasuke," said Haruka as she looked at the baby who grabbed her finger and started to speak baby speak to her with a smile. "You're right Sasuke, I need to be strong."

The adults watched the two children, Ai and Mikoto calming down.

"Let's go home, Haruka," said Ai as she wiped her eyes.

"Hai, Oka-san," said Haruka as she grabbed her mothers' hand and walked away.

_**~That Night~**_

"Fugaku-san," said Ai as she opened the door to her house and letting the clan head in along with his eldest son. "Would you like some tea?"

"No, thank you," said Fugaku as he looked at Haruka who sat at the table. Haruka looked back at the man in confusion.

"Haruka-chan," said Itachi as he walked up to his friend and hugged her. Haruka hugged him back.

"Haruka-chan," said Fugaku as he walked up to the girl.

"Yes, Fugaku-san," asked the girl in confusion as she let go of Itachi. **'What is he doing here?'**

"You're Oto-san left you something important."

"Something important?"

"Yes," said Fugaku as he gave the girl a scroll. "This scroll contains your fathers' eyes."

"His eyes," said Haruka, freaked out. **'What kind of gift is that?'**

"He achieved the Mangekyo Sharingan. He wanted you to have his eyes if you ever need them. This is important. When Itachi and I leave, hide them someplace that you can get to later, understand?"

"Yes," said Haruka with a determine face. **'I guess that means I don't have to worry about going blind.'**

"Good," said Fugaku as he looked at Itachi and then nodded to Ai. "We will leave you now. Mikoto expects to have you over for tea when you are ready. Itachi will be there to train with Haruka."

"Bye, Haruka-chan," said Itachi as his father walked out.

"Haruka," replied Haruka as she looked at Itachi who smiled at her.

"Bye, Haruka," said Itachi.

"Bye, Itachi," said Haruka with a small smile. Itachi smiled slightly bigger and then left.

"Your Oto-san left you a gift, take care of it," said Ai as she hugged her daughter.

"Hai, Oka-san," said Haruka as she hugged her mother back.

"Go hide that and then come eat," said Ai as she let go of her daughter.

Haruka walked out of the room and took the scroll to her room, she then walked to where her bed was and pulled it slightly. Behind the bed's headboard was a small door that Haruka opened and put the scroll in. She then put everything the way it was supposed to be.

'**Oto-san left me something important. His eyes will help me later on in life. The only thing is now I have to make sure I survive the massacre. I'm not strong enough to change things now, but I know I will be in the future. I have to get stronger. I will have to train more. It's only a matter of time before Naruto is born and Kurama comes out.**

'**I need to survive that first before I survive anything else. This will be hard, but I can do it. I just need to pay attention to the day. I need to have Oji-san train me. I will also have to see if I can train with Itachi. There is also the extra training I need to do by myself.**

'**After dinner, I will practice chakra control. Better to get ahead in school now. I can do this. I know I can,' **thought Haruka as she walked out of her room and toward her mother.


	4. Plot Starts!

Plot Starts

_**A/N: Will be using some episodes from Shippuden about Itachi's past.**_

Episode(s): Shippuden 454

"There's a full moon tonight," said Haruka out load as she stood outside her house. Her mother had gone out with Mikoto and her uncle was also out with his old team mates. Haruka was home alone, but she was fine with that.

"What's today?" she said out loud as she tried to remember. **'I know that Naruto is younger than Sasuke, so he should be born soon, right?'**

"Today is October 10th," said a voice. It was male, but young. Haruka turned around in shock to see a boy standing not to far away from her.

'**He must be Uchiha, he has the features,'** thought Haruka to herself.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," said the boy. "My name is Shisui Uchiha. What's your name?"

'**This is Shisui!'** thought Haruka to herself as Shisui walked closer to her.

"My name is Haruka Uchiha," said Haruka once Shisui was in front of her.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, cousin," said Shisui with a huge smile. "Why did you want to know what day it was?"

"Reasons," said Haruka out loud with a pout, making Shisui laugh as he patted her head. "Stop!"

"No way! You're so cute!"

"I am not! I am a powerful ninja!"

"Well, Miss powerful ninja," laughed Shisui as he continued to pat her head. "I bet you can't hit a target."

"I so can!" said Haruka as she grabbed his hand and pulled him to wear the targets were set up. She then grabbed a kunai and threw it, hitting the target in the center.

"Well, I stand corrected," said Shisui as he laughed at the triumphant looking Haruka.

"Good job, Haruka," said Anzen as he walked into view.

"Oji-san!" said Haruka in shock.

"I stopped by to see how you are, but it looks like your hanging out with your new boyfriend, Itachi might end up jealous," laughed the older man.

"Who would want to date him," asked Haruka as she pointed at Shisui, shocking him.

"What's that supposed to mean! I'm great!" said Shisui as he started to list off the reason as to why he was great, causing the other two Uchihas to laugh at him.

"I'm sure you are," laughed Anzen as he patted Shisui on the back.

"But I am! All the ladies love me! Right, Haruka-chan," said Shisui as he turned to the little girl.

"If they're blind, then I guess so," said Haruka with a grin. **'This is fun. I wonder if this is what it's like to have an older brother. Too bad I can't get Itachi to react this way. That would be the day.'**

"I am! I'm good looking and strong!"

"I haven't even seen you do anything yet!"

"Well, let me tell you! I'm awesome!"

"No, you aren't!"

"Yes, I am!"

"Children, children! Let's remember that I am the best!" declared Anzen. The two just looked at him with a straight face.

"Be quite, old man," the two said together. Anzen looked down.

"I'm not old," he mumbled as the two laughed at him.

'**Wait, did he say October 10****th****?'** thought Haruka as he eyes opened wide. She was about to say something when the wind started to blow like crazy.

"What is this," said Shisui as he got closer to Haruka.

'**What, what is this feeling. Is this the Nine-tails chakra?'** thought Haruka to herself as she grabbed onto Shisui in fear. **'It feels horrible.'**

Then, there was an explosion.

"Shit," said Anzen as he covered the two children. "Let's go."

"Right," said Shisui as he grabbed Haruka's hand and pulled her along.

The three ran toward the evacuation point but were stopped by an explosion that caused all three of them to fly. Shisui, still holding onto Haruka, used his body to cushion her fall.

"Haruka-chan, are you okay?" asked Shisui with gritted teeth and one eye closed. He then opened both eyes to show his Sharingan.

"Yeah," said Haruka as she stood up, allowing Shisui to stand as well. "Where is Oji-san?"

"I don't know," said Shisui as he grabbed her hand. He was about to say something when she screamed.

"OJI-SAN!" yelled Haruka as she looked to her right to see her uncle impaled on broken wood pieces. He hand a major piece coming out of his stomach with several smaller pieces coming out of the rest of his body. Both children knew he was dead without having to go check. The amount of pieces in him and blood dripping onto the floor made sure they knew. Seeing his body like that after losing her uncle caused Haruka to see red.

"Haruka-chan," said Shisui in shock as he noticed her Sharingan had activated. It had two tomoe. Shisui gritted his teeth again and began to pull her with him. "We have to get you to the shelters, Haruka-chan."

"Oji-san," said Haruka, sadly as tears fell from her eyes. **'I can't believe I lost two important people to me in only a matter of months. This isn't worth the Sharingan.'**

"I know it's hard, Haruka-chan, but we have to go. Don't let his death be in vain," said Shisui as he got to where they were evacuating people. He saw Fugaku. "Fugaku-san."

"Shisui," he said uncaringly, but looked shocked when he saw Haruka's eyes. "What happened?"

"Anzen is dead," said Shisui while pulling Haruka closer to him as she cried. Fugaku looked at her, then to Shisui. "Take her to the shelter. Stay with her."

"Yes, sir," said Shisui as he guided her to the shelter, following other evacuees. "It's gonna be okay, Haruka-chan."

'**How can it be okay? I lost my Oto-san, Oji-san, it's only a matter of time before you die, and mom,'** thought Haruka as she cried harder.

'**Haruka-chan,'** thought Shisui as he looked at the younger girl cry. **'I will protect you.'**

"We, we were gonna train. He said he would train me now that Oto-san was gone. We trained a little. Who's gonna train me now?" asked Haruka as she looked at the floor. 'How can I get stronger now. The people I want to protect are dying around me.'

"I'll train you!" declared Shisui as they made it to the shelter.

"What?" asked Haruka in shock, her Sharingan disappearing.

"Yeah! I will help you train! You can call me Shisui-nii!" said Shisui with a smile as he patted Haruka on the head. Haruka only cried harder, shocking Shisui. **'What do I do!?'**

"Shisui-nii!" said Haruka as she threw herself at him and hugged him.

"It's okay, Haruka-chan," said Shisui as he hugged her. **'I promise I will protect you, Haruka-chan.'**

_**~The Fallowing Day~**_

Haruka stood with other members of the Uchiha clan as they honored the dead. She held her mother's hand as she cried.

'At first, all I wanted to do was survive, and now, I want to be able to protect the people I love. So why are they dying? Is this world really the cruel?'

"Let's go, Haruka," said Ai as she pulled her daughter along.

"Hai, Oka-san," said Haruka.

"Wait, Ai-san," said a voice. The two Uchiha females turned to see Shisui.

"Shisui-nii?" asked Haruka, shocking her mother.

"I just wanted to say that I will be coming over to help Haruka-chan train from now on, if that's okay with you," said Shisui as he bowed.

"That fine with me," said Ai as she bowed in return. "Thank you for keeping her safe."

"Of course! I'm here Shisui-nii now! It's my job!" declared Shisui as he puffed his chest out, causing the two females to smile.

"We will see you late, Shisui-kun," said Ai as she turned.

"Bye Shisui-nii," said Haruka with a smile as she waved and turned to follow her mother.

_**~Months Later, Opening Ceremony For the Academy~**_

"Look, Haruka, there's Itachi," said Ai as she walked her daughter to the Academy. "You should go stand with him, so you aren't alone."

"Hai!" said Haruka as she walked away. She turned to wave at her mother. "Bye Oka-san!"

'**Things have been okay for us since Naruto's birth. We had to move, which was fine, but I know that this is now where the conflict between the Uchiha and the village will arise. I made sure to get my dad's scroll before we left, and I re-hid it with Shisui's help. **

'**Shisui-nii and Itachi have been helping me train, which is good. I'm not as skilled as Itachi, which is fine, but I'm still good,'** thought Haruka to herself as she walked to Itachi.

"Itachi! Hi!" said Haruka as she stopped in front of her friend. Itachi smiled at her.

"Hello Haruka. How are you?" he said as he turned to stand in line, she followed him.

"Good, though I'm still somewhat sore from our last spar," she said, honestly. **'He really doesn't hold back.'**

"Sorry about that, Shisui told me not to hold back," he said with a smile.

'**Asshole! I'm gonna kill him!'**

"But you should be fine for now. They won't make us do much today."

"Yeah, guess your right," said Haruka as she looked forward, though she noticed something from the corner of her eye. "Itachi, I think that girl is looking at you."

"Hmm?" questioned Itachi as he turned to look to see a girl smile and wave at him. "her name is Izumi, I saved her during the attack."

"Ahh," said Haruka as she smiled at Izumi, only to be glared at. **'The fuck?'**

"What's wrong?" asked Itachi as he saw Haruka's face.

"I don't think she likes me very much," she said with a sweat drop.

"That's fine. I like you, so that should be enough," he said with a sweet smile and a very light blush, though Haruka didn't notice it.

"I like you too!" declared Haruka with a smile. The two then looked back to the Hokage as he spoke.

_**~In Class~**_

"Let's sit here," said Itachi after the two walked into the classroom.

"Yeah," said Haruka as Itachi sat in the middle and she sat to his left.

"Itachi-kun!" yelled a voice, causing the two to look over to see Izumi run up to them and sit on Itachi's right.

"Hello, Izumi-san. How are you," said Itachi, ever the polite boy.

"Good! And you?" asked Izumi with a smile.

"Good. Have you met Haruka yet?" he asked as he turned his attention to Haruka.

"Haruka?" she question as she looked at the other Uchiha girl. **'Are they that close that he doesn't use chan?'**

"Itachi! I can introduce myself," said Haruka. **'That's right, brat, I'm closer to him then you are.'**

"Sorry," said Itachi with a chuckle.

"That's fine. Anyway, I'm Haruka Uchiha! It's nice to meet you, Izumi-san."

"It's nice to meet you too, Haruka-san. I'm Izumi Uchiha," said Izumi with a small smile.

"Alright class, sit down," said Sensei. "I'm sure some of you have already been taught ninjutsu in your households, but here at the Academy, you will also train to coordinate and work together as a team when you are in a group. The fundamentals are very important, make sure you learn them well."

'**Our days in the Academy has started. The count down to the massacre has started. I need to gain as much knowledge as I can! I have Shisui-nii and Itachi to help me. I can't give up!'** thought Haruka as Sensei began to talk about fundamentals. She felt a tap on her right hand and looked toward her right to see Itachi smile at her. She smiled in return. **'I can do this.'**

_**~Months Late~**_

A few months have passed, and Itachi has greatly surpassed his fellow students. Haruka is second best, but still far behind Itachi.

"Itachi, looks like you have a fan club," said Haruka as she pointed to the window in which their class room was. Itachi looked, only to see all the girls in their class, beside Haruka, who was with him, and Hana, Haruka's friend, watching him. "Though I wonder what the boys are looking at."

"What?" said Itachi as he turned quickly to see the boys in their class looking at Haruka. He glared at them.

"They must want to be like you," said Haruka with a smile as she looked at Itachi. He looked back at her a gave her a somewhat strained smile though she didn't notice.

"They're looking at you," he said as he turned to start walking.

"ME!?" said Haruka in shock**. 'I don't want a fan club! Why are they interested in me?'**

"Haruka, coming?" said Itachi as he kept walking.

"Wait! Itachi! Explain why they're watching me! Itachi!" yelled Haruka as she chased her friend. He slowed down to allow her to catch up before he started talking.

"You're pretty, smart, and have great skills. It's obvious to anyone who has eyes that you will be a great Kunoichi. They would be stupide not to like you," said Itachi as the two walked into the building. Haruka blushed, but what she didn't know was Itachi had a light blush as well.

"Thank, Itachi," said Haruka with a smile**. 'He is so sweet! I will save you! You deserve a good life! I will find you the perfect women! I have to get Hana's help!'**

Itachi and Haruka were walking down the hallway, only to hear screaming from behind them. Three of the boys from their class run around them and turn Itachi around, while hiding behind him.

'**What?'** thought Haruka in shock as she was pushed out of the way. Luckily she managed to stay standing.

"Who the hell are you?" yelled an older boy who was chasing the three boys from their class. "A friend of theirs?"

Itachi looks at the boys around his and simply puts his hand up and makes a sign while looking at the older boy.

"All the freshmen this year are stuck up!" yelled the older boy as he went to punch Itachi, only for Itachi to grab his hand and flip him over, much to the shock of everyone but Haruka.

'**Hana so owes me food. Told her something like this would happen,'** smirked Haruka as she watched. **'Though, I do know the future, so maybe that's cheating? Who cares!'**

"Take him to the infirmary," said Itachi as he looked at two random boys who looked at him in shock.

"O-okay," said one of them in shock as the two went to grab the older boy.

"Itachi-kun, you're really strong!" said Kamano, one of the boys who was being chased.

"Kun?" questioned Itachi as he turned to look at the boys.

"Even upperclassmen are easy targets for you, Itachi-san!" said one of the other boys that Haruka couldn't remember the name of.

"San?"

"Good job, Itachi!" said Haruka as she hugged her friend with a giggle. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thank you, Haruka," said Itachi with a smile as he hugged her back lightly.

"Itachi-san even has a beautiful girlfriend!" said the three boys, causing the two Uchiha to blush.

"Girlfriend?" said Itachi as he looked at Haruka who had let go of him.

"We-well then, lets get back to class," said Haruka with a blush. **'We are not dating! We are only friends!'**

"Right," said Itachi as he moved to follower her**. 'She looks cute when she blushes.'**

"Move it, move it!" said one of the boys as the ran to walk in front of the two Uchihas. "Itachi-sama and Haruka-Chan are coming through!"

'**This is embarrassing!'** thought Haruka as she tried to make a break for it, only to have Itachi pull her back.

"If I have to suffer, so do you," whispered Itachi.

"But Itachi!" said Haruka as the boys continued to yell.

"I'll buy you dango," he replied.

"That's more for you then me and you know it!"

"Fine! I'll buy you BBQ?"

"Deal!" said Haruka with a smile. **'BBQ is so good!'**

_**~A Few Weeks Later~**_

"Itachi, ditching me again?" asked Haruka to the Itachi clone. She could tell if it was a clone or not, but could not perform the Jutsu herself, yet.

"I'm still here, just not fully," said Itachi-clone as he walked with her out of class.

"Whatever, I'm gonna hang with Hana! Later!" said Haruka as she walked away**. 'He's so smart. Makes me wonder if Shikamaru would have been like this if he would have put in the effort.'**

"Haruka!" yelled a voice, causing said girl to turn around and smile.

"Hana! Why did you walk out without me!"

"Well, I saw you were with Itachi.. And I figured I'd leave you to you're boyfriend," laughed Hana as she was followed by her three ninken, the Haimaru brothers.

"It's a clone."

"Really! Wow! That's so advance!"

"It is, and he left me here with you!" said Haruka with fake tears, causing Hana to laugh and jump on her, knocking her to the ground. The Haimaru brothers jumped on the two girls, causing them to laugh.

_**~The Next Day~**_

"You're graduating! Congratulations!" said Haruka as she hugged Itachi.

"Guess this means you're gonna be alone with Hana," said Itachi with a chuckle.

"Hey! I'm great company!" said Hana as she glared at Itachi. The two laughed at her.

"You're the best, Hana," said Haruka as she hugged her.

"And don't you forget it!"

"Anyway, best of luck, Itachi! We have to get to class!" she said as she smiled at him.

"Thank you," he said in return as the two girls turned to walk away. The two walked a little bit away when Haruka stopped and ran back to him. "Haruka?"

'**Now or never, best of luck my friend,'** thought Haruka as she kissed Itachi on the cheek and then ran back to Hana who was laughing at her pick face.

'**Cute,'** was all Itachi could think with a blush of his own. He then walked to where he was going to be assigned his team.


	5. Academy Days

Academy Days

**A/N: If you want more info on Michiru Uchiha, please check out the connected story called Love you, Flame!**

"So, you're starting school today, Sasuke-kun?" asked a ten-year-old Haruka as she walked with Mikoto, Sasuke, and Itachi to the Academy.

Haruka had changed her outfit as she grew. She wore a black long-sleeved shirt that had her clan symbol on the back. On her elbows she wore guards. For pants, she wore tight dark blue shorts that stopped mid-thigh. Her ninja tools on her right leg and black ninja shoes. Her dark brown hair had gotten longer and was now on a little past her butt.

"Yup!" said a five-year-old Sasuke, happily. "I'm gonna be a shinobi like Itachi-nii and Haruka-nee!"

"But I'm not a shinobi yet," giggled Haruka.

"That's because you said that we only need one great Uchiha at a time!" declared Sasuke, making the other three laugh.

"That's right!" said Haruka as she grinned.

"Anyway, looks like we're here!" said Mikoto with a smile.

"Why didn't Oto-san come?" asked Sasuke out of the blue. The three other Uchihas looked at each other.

"He is a very busy man, Sasuke, but I know he wished he could be here," replied Mikoto with a soft smile. Though no one but Haruka noticed Itachi's clenched fist.

Haruka put her hand on Itachi's and smiled, shocking him. He then gave her a light smile back.

"Look, Sasuke-kun! There's a girl there from our clan. She looks like she might be your age. Why don't you go and talk to her, so you have a friend," said Haruka as she noticed a little girl with the Uchiha clan symbol on her shirt.

The girl had on a long-sleeved blue, high collared shirt with the clan symbol on the back. She also wore black shorts that stopped at her knees and blue ninja sandals. She had long dark blackish-blue hair up in a ponytail and the Uchiha dark eyes.

"I don't need a friend!" declared Sasuke.

"I had a friend when I started," said Itachi as he tapped Sasuke's forehead. Sasuke's eye widened.

"Really?"

"Yup! It was me!" said Haruka with a smile. Sasuke looked excited.

"Does that mean she'll be my best friend too!" asked Sasuke with excitement. **'I want a best friend like Itachi-nii! I want her to be cool like Haruka-nee!'**

"Only if you want her too," said Itachi with a smile. Sasuke gave a huge grin and ran to the girl. Though he stopped right before he went to her and turned to his family and waved.

"Cute!" said Mikoto and Haruka together as they watched Sasuke shyly speak to the other girl.

"Do you know who she is, Oka-san?" asked Itachi.

"I believe she's a girl in the clan orphanage, but I don't know her name," replied Mikoto.

"Well, I'm sure Sasuke will tell you guys all about her later," laughed Haruka as she turned to walk away. "I'll see you later."

"Have a great day, Haruka-chan," said Mikoto.

"I hope to see you later, Haruka," said Itachi with a light smile.

"Itachi, fangirls," said Hana as she walked by Itachi with her ninken. Itachi somewhat paled and turned to see many girls giggling at him.

Hana wore a white jacket, mesh long sleeved underneath it, and dark blue pants that cuffed around her ankle. She also wore the normal blue ninja shoes. Her brown hair was in a low ponytail, like always. Her clan markings on her face.

"Bye, Oka-san," said Itachi quickly as he then disappeared. Causing her to laugh.

"Poor Itachi," said Hana with a shake of her head as she walked toward Haruka.

"Yup, so does your brother start today?" asked Haruka to her friend as they walked to their classroom since only first years were required to stay and listen to the speech.

"Yup," said Hana as the two made it to their class room.

'**Hana Inuzuka, the older sister of Kiba Inuzuka. In all honesty, it's funny how we became friend. Izumi was being a bitch to me when Itachi was talking to a teacher and Hana decided to defend me. Though it was more like we just gave Izumi and her friends shit,'** thought Haruka.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Hana as the two girls sat at their seats.

"How we became friends," answered Haruka.

"Ah, yes! The faithful day!" laughed Hana.

"Hello, ladies!" said a voice. The two turned to see Natsu Ryuu.

Natsu came from a civilian family. He had spiky blond hair and green eyes. He wore a pale green shirt and dark blue ninja pants and shoes. He had started to hang out with the girls not long after Itachi had graduated. Though, it can be noted that he and Itachi don't get along all that well.

"Sup," said the two girls as he sat next to them. Haruka sat in the middle while Natsu sat to her left and Hana to her right.

"Can you believe it! Just a little bit longer and we are out of here," said Natsu with a grin.

"Well, we still have some test to pass before we start thinking about that," replied Haruka with a laugh**. 'Natsu is always so happy. He makes me think of Naruto.'**

"Class, let's begin," said Sensei as he walked into class, causing the other children to run to their seats.

'**This year, Shisui-nii will die. Even though I got my third tomoe for my Sharingan, I'm still not strong enough. I can't take on Danzo. I need to figure something out. Itachi and I both turn 11 this year, so that means two more years until the massacre. I have to figure this out, I don't have a choice,'** thought Haruka as she looked forward.

_**~That Afternoon~**_

"Good job, Haruka," said Shisui as Haruka managed to hit all the targets.

"Thanks, Shisui-nii!" said Haruka with a grin.

'**I have a cute little sister,'** thought Shisui as he started to cry.

"I am not cute,' said Haruka out loud as she glared at Shisui. He just stopped crying and stared at her. The two locked eyes until Haruka turned and started running.

"Get back here!" yelled Shisui as he chased her.

"Never!" yelled Haruka as she jumped from tree to tree. **'Shisui loves the idea of being an older brother way to much. I never see him do this with Itachi!'**

"Got you," said a male voice as they grabbed Haruka around the waist. She looked up to see Itachi, smiling at her.

"Wow! Nii-san! You caught her!" yelled an excited Sasuke, followed by the little girl they had seen at the Academy.

"Itachi! Good job," said Shisui as he stopped next to him.

"Not fair, Itachi!" said Haruka with a pout as Itachi jumped onto the ground in front of the children. He then let Haruka go as Shisui came to stand next to the two.

"Who is this? Sasuke's girlfriend?" asked Shisui as he noticed the little girl.

"She's not my girlfriend! Her name is Michiru and she's my friend!" said Sasuke as he puffed out his cheeks with a slight blush.

"Hello, my name is Michiru Uchiha. It's nice to meet you," said the girl with a smile.

"It's nice to meet you, Michiru-chan. My name is Haruka Uchiha, and this idiot is Shisui Uchiha," said Haruka with a smile.

"Hey!" said Shisui, causing Itachi to chuckle. Shisui then turned to him with a smirk. "You know, I asked you if Haruka was your girlfriend when I first met you. You stuttered."

"That's because you tried to attack me," said Itachi with a light blush. "If I remember correctly, you were yelling about how no one can corrupt your baby sister."

The other three laughed at Shisui's pink face.

"Anyway, why don't we practice some kunai throwing?" Haruka asked the younger children.

"Yeah!" they yelled out happily as Haruka gave them each some kunai to throw.

'**What a cute girl. I know that there was no mention of Michiru in the managa or anime. So, could she be an anomaly, or just a passing thing?'** thought Haruka as she watched Itachi and Shisui teach the children how to throw the kunai correctly.

"Shisui! Don't show them something they aren't ready for!" yelled Haruka as she went up to stop Shisui. The others laughed.

_**~A Few Months Later~**_

The five Uchihas celebrated birthdays as they came up and went about their lives.

Haruka, Sasuke, and Michiru went to the Academy. Sasuke and Michiru hung out and became best friends while Haruka stuck with Hana and Natsu, the three hoping to be on the same team when they graduate the following year.

Itachi joined Ambu and had less time to spend with the others, though Haruka had a way of pulling him and getting him to hang out with them.

Shisui was himself. He loved to help the others train and simply loved being called Shisui-nii.

Though, in October, everything changed for the children.

"What do you mean," said Ai with tears in her eyes.

"They found his body. He committed suicide," said Mikoto with tears in her eyes.

"Shisui. That's why Haruka's been in her room," said Ai with a whisper.

"Sasuke and Michiru were upset. I managed to calm them down and have them napping right now at the house," said Mikoto as she held her tea. "They think he was murdered and that Itachi did it. But I know he didn't!"

"Itachi loved Shisui like a brother, no way he would do something like that," said Ai.

_**~In Haruka's Room~**_

"Shisui," said Haruka as she held a pillow to her.

"He said he loved you. You were the best little sister in the world," said a voice. Haruka turned to see Itachi. She got up and ran to him, hugging him as she cried.

"Itachi," said Haruka as Itachi rested his head on hers.

"I'm sorry I couldn't save him," he said as he squeezed her. **'I promised him I would protect you and Michiru. I will do whatever it takes to keep that promise.'**


	6. New Team

New Team!

"Now students, as of today, you are shinobi of the Hidden Leaf! Wear your head bands with pride!" said the Sensei, causing the graduates to cheer. "Now I will call out teams! Team 1!"

Haruka, who had her forehead protect around her forehead, sat there with a smile. She sat in between Natsu, who also had his forehead protect around her forehead, and Hana, who had her forehead protector around her neck. Even with the smile on her face, her mind was going crazy.

'**One year left. Next year, Itachi will kill the Uchiha clan. What can I do? There is nothing at this point. But I have to try. Is there an exact date it happened? I can't remember. I need to plan,'** thought Haruka as she looked at the Sensei calling names.

"Team 4! Hana Inuzuka, Natsu Ryuu, and Haruka Uchiha!"

"Yes!" yelled Natsu as he threw his arms around Haruka as Hana smiled at them.

"I can't believe we all got on one team!" said Hana with a smile.

"What are the odds of that?" laughed Haruka as the Sensei continued to list the teams.

"Now please go have lunch and then return here in an hour to have your Sensei's meet up with you," said the Sensei as he walked out.

"You guys down to go get lunch?" asked Natsu with a smile.

"Sure," said the two girls as the Haimaru brothers barked in agreement.

"Where too?" asked Haruka as they walked out.

"BBQ?" asked Natsu.

"Yes!" said Hana with a smile.

"Then lets go!" said Haruka.

The three recent graduates chatted while they ate, giving food to the Haimaru brothers while they continued eating.

"Who do you think our Sensei is going to be?" asked Natsu through a face stuffed with food.

"Hard to say," said Hana as she laughed.

"Well, I hope we have a great Sensei," said Haruka as she ate her meat**. 'The only ones I know won't be Sensei's for a while.'**

"Well, let's head back, we have five minutes," said Hana as she looked at the clock.

"Kay," said the other two as they got up.

The group walked out and then began to run to the Academy. They managed to make it just in time.

"Please wait here for you Sensei's," said a Chunin as he then walked out.

Haruka looked up to notice someone standing in the shadows in the front of the room. She continued to stare when she finally noticed who it was: Shikaku Nara. He simply stood there with his eyes closed.

'**Well, hello strong one,'** thought Haruka as she eyed Shikaku. He looked like he didn't care to be there at all, and it did seem like anyone else had noticed him. **'I bet this is all troublesome for him.'**

He simply stood there. Haruka was about to say something Hana and Natsu when Shikaku looked up and locked eyes with her, shocking her. The two continued to look at each other.

'**This is creepy, do I look away? Do I continue to stare? Do I wave?'** thought Haruka in shock. She then raised an eyebrow and decided to just wave. Shikaku raised an eyebrow and then chuckled, catching the attention of some of the graduates.

"Team 4, with me," said Shikaku as he began to walk out the door.

"It looks like that's us," said Haruka as she stood up, the other two following her.

"I didn't know Shikaku Nara was going to take a team," said Hana outload.

"Maybe last minute?" suggested Natsu as the two walked toward the older man who stood at the entrance of the building.

'**This is either going to be really cool or very disappointing,'** thought Haruka as Shikaku made the move to continue walking. He then took off in a random direction, startling the new team 4. **'Is this a game of tag or something? The fuck does he want from us? I thought he was supposed to be lazy!?'**

"Catch him," said Haruka as they then took off after him. The team followed Shikaku and managed to catch up to him, though with some difficulty.

He tried to throw them off by throwing weapons at them, sometimes at all of them or at just one person. Either way, they would all defend or protect each other.

'**They work well together, not only that, the Uchiha has been giving slight hand movements that the other two follow without question. They have trust in her and each other's ability to keep themselves safe from danger,'** thought Shikaku as they landed in training field seven.

"I'm surprised, you caught up quickly," said Shikaku as he sat underneath a tree and leaned back on it.

"I'm surprised you know how to run," said Haruka, causing the others to look at her. **'Fuck, meant to think that.'**

"I'm surprised an Uchiha didn't graduate early," he shot back with a raised eyebrow. Haruka just shrugged.

"Didn't feel like putting in the effort. Then people expect shit out of you," she said honestly. **'Did not want to end up like Itachi is right now.'**

"I feel you, kid," said Shikaku with a snort. "Anyway, I'm your Sensei now. Not by my own choice. Apparently the Hokage thinks it would be best if I train some new Genin. Though, who knows what I can help an Uchiha or an Inuzuka with."

"Okay?" said Hana, confused.

"Now we have to take a test," said Shikaku with a sigh.

"Is it taking a nap because that what it looks like you want to do," said Haruka as Natsu and Hana looked at her in shock. **'He better not take a fucking nap!'**

'**What is she thinking?'** thought the other two in shock.

"Ha! No, kid. We are going to do an exercise, or, at least, we were going to," he said with a chuckle.

"But?" asked Natsu with a raised eyebrow.

"You three," started Shikaku, only to be cut off.

"Six," said the other three along with three barks.

"You six," he said as he looked at the ninken with a raised eyebrow as they barked happily, "had great teamwork when it came to following me. You trusted each other and helped cover each other when needed.

"Uchiha, you used your Sharingan to make sure you could best react to a situation. Inuzuka, you used you nose and ninken to account for any traps, and Ryuu, you used your knowledge of weapons to best combat each weapon thrown at you.

"Team Four shows great promise when it comes to team work, so you all pass."

"So, nap now?" asked Haruka as she tried to suppress a laugh.

"My wife isn't expecting me home to way later, so yeah, I'm gonna find a place to nap. Meet here, tomorrow, at 12. The later I can sleep in, the better."

"Don't get caught!" said Hana as he walked away.

"Well then, that was fun," said Natsu with a grin. "Who wants to go eat. Again!"

"Why not?" said Haruka with a laugh.

'**The tension is rising. What am I going to do,' **wondered Haruka as her friends walked in front of her. **'I don't have that much time left. Itachi, I will save you, one way or another.'**


	7. Dongo of the Heart

Dongo of the Heart

"Today we will be going on a C-Rank mission," said Shikaku as he met up with his team at the training grounds.

"About time!" said Natsu with a grin. "It's been a good few months!"

"Stop it, Natsu," said Hana as she smacked him on the head. "We needed lots of training."

"Where to?" asked Haruka as she ignored her teammates.

"We will be going to Suna," said Shikaku as he also ignored the other two who were fighting. "We will be escorting a diplomat."

"Really!" said Natsu, popping out of nowhere.

'**Wasn't he just fighting with Hana?'** thought Haruka and Shikaku as they looked at him.

"That sounds like fun!" said Hana with a smile as she appeared behind Haruka.

'**What the hell?'** thought Haruka as she glanced behind her.

"We will be leaving tomorrow morning. Make sure to pack enough for a month trip. Meet in front of the gates at 8 A.M.," said Shikaku as he then disappeared, leaving his students to look at each other.

"Well, you heard the man. Lets go get everything ready," said Haruka as she turned to walk away.

"Yeah! I need to buy some extra weapons!" said Natsu as he ran in front of Haruka. "See you two tomorrow!"

"Well then," laughed Hana as she walked next to her friend, her dogs walking with them.

"We should get ready too," laughed Haruka.

"Right," laughed Hana as she turned down a different rout. "Later!"

"Later!" said Haruka as she walked home. She walked slowly, trying to gather her thoughts.

'**This is the year that the Uchiha massacre is supposed to happen. What do I do? I've tried spending more time with Itachi, but he only put me off. I know that he was only able to get Sasuke spared. Sasuke has Michiru, which he didn't in the manga or anime. But then again, I've seen a lot of things that were never shown or talked about,'** thought Haruka as she continued to walk.

"I should really go get everything ready," sighed Haruka as she walked toward the Uchiha compound.

"Get ready for what?" asked a voice from right behind her, shocking her. She turned around and saw it was Itachi.

"Damn it, Itachi! You scared me!" said Haruka with a light blush. **'I'm a shitty ninja.'**

"Sorry," said Itachi with a light smile.

"Anyway," said Haruka with an eye roll and a smile, "I have a C-Rank mission tomorrow. I need to make sure I have everything I need."

"How long will you be gone?" asked Itachi as he walked past her, causing her to follow.

"Not sure. Sensei said to pack for at least a month. So maybe sometime around that. Of course, it could always take longer or be shorter."

"That's true. You should always be prepared."

"So, what have you been up to," asked Haruka as they walked into the village.

"Let's get dango," said Itachi instead of answering her question.

"Um, okay, but you're paying!" she said as she smiled at him and started to walk in front of him, trying to hurry to her snack.

"Yeah," said Itachi as he followed her. **'How long will this last?'**

The two walked to the dango shop together in silence. There was no need for them to speak as they were simply happy in each other's presence.

Once the two got to the dango shop, they ordered and Itachi payed.

"Thanks Itachi!" said Haruka as the two sat down to wait for their sweets.

"No problem," said Itachi with a smile.

"So, what have you been up to? You never answered earlier," said Haruka as she stared down her friend. **'I need to know what is going on.'**

"I've been busy with missions," said Itachi as he then looked at her in the eye, making her nervous. "Have you gone to the meetings that are being held?"

'**Meetings? Is he talking about the ones at the shrine?'** thought Haruka with a confused look.

"I haven't been able to. Every time they have one I'm gone on a mission, which is fine by me because they seem so boring," said Haruka as she looked at Itachi who seemed to relax.

'**She doesn't know then. Maybe that will save her?'** thought Itachi as he moved his eyes toward the table and seemed to let out a sigh.

'**Wait. Is he talking about those meetings they are supposed to be having about the coup? Wow. I really missed a lot of that! Go team,'** thought Haruka as a waitress came with their food.

"Here you two go! Have fun on your date!" she said with a smile as she placed the food down, causing the two teens to blush.

"Wh-what?' said Haruka as she looked at Itachi who simply took a dango and put it in his mouth. Though he did turn his head to the side to avoid her eyes.

"These are good," mumbled Itachi as he continued to eat, snapping Haruka out of it.

"Do-don't eat them all! Why do you have such a big sweet tooth!" cried Haruka as she snatched the food, fearing Itachi eating them all. He chuckled in response.

"What do you need to get for your mission?" asked Itachi as he continued to eat.

"Well, I really just need to pack everything. Then I should be done," said Haruka as she ate.

"I have something for you," said Itachi as he brought out a sealing scroll.

"What is it?' asked Haruka as she grabbed it.

"Open it."

Haruka put some chakra into the seal making smoke appear and the object pop out. She was surprised when she saw a sword. It was in a special carrier that would allow her to carry on her back, like Itachi.

"What?' she asked in shock.

"I thought you might like it. It was Shisui's. I know how you were learning how to use it from him and that you've been practicing. I know he would have wanted you to have. I was waiting till I thought you were ready." Said Itachi with a smile.

"You've been watching me," said Haruka with a blush. **'Shisui's sword. Why? Especially if the massacre will happen soon. Is it to give me a chance?'**

"Yes. I knew you wouldn't have wanted me to help you with that training. So, I just watched to make sure you were okay and didn't hurt yourself to bad," said Itachi with a smile as he watched her look at the sword. **'I needed to make sure you were safe.'**

"Thank you," said Haruka as she started to tear up. **'I'm so sorry, Shisui.'**

"You deserve it," said Itachi as he took the last piece.

"You better put the last piece down or I use it to stab you in the dick," said Haruka with a sweat smile. Itachi's eyes widened and he put the piece down.

'**Was that really a good decision,'** thought Itachi in fear as Haruka happily ate the last dango with a smile.

"Yum," said Haruka as she finished the last piece.

"We should go so you can get packed," said Itachi as he stood up.

"Yeah," said Haruka as she stood up as well. She placed the sword on her back with a smile. "Let's go!"

"So, you like it?" asked Itachi as the two walked out of the shop.

"I love it. I feel like Shisui-nii is with me now. Thank you so much," said Haruka as she looked up at Itachi with happiness. He smiled back it her, though small, with a blush.

"I'm happy to here that," he replied to her.

The two walked in silence to the compound, both thinking of different things, both worried for each other.

"Haruka," said Itachi as he stopped a little before the compound. Haruka looked at him confused, but nodded to him, waiting to hear what he has to say. "Please, come with me. I have to tell you something important."

"O-okay," said Haruka. Itachi then jumped on a roof and started to run, Haruka right behind him. **'What is it that he wants to tell me? The coup? The planned massacre?'**

Haruka stayed a little behind Itachi as she fallowed him. She watched him as she tried to figure out what he could want to tell her and how she would be able to fight back if needed.

'**But, he gave me a weapon. He wouldn't have given it to me if he was going to kill me.'**

"Itachi," she called out to him. He just turned his head to look at her.

"We're almost there," he said to her as he face forward again. The two continued for a few minutes until they reached the clearing they used for training.

"What did you want to tell me?" asked Haruka as she walked closer to him, his back facing her. He continued to stand there, scaring her. "Itachi?"

"What do you think of me?" he asked, suddenly.

"What?" she replied, startled.

"What do you think of me?" he said, again, as he turned to face her.

"I know you're a great older brother who is loving to his younger brother. I know that you are a great son who loves to help out his mom when he can. A great friend who is always there for me when I need you. You are sweet and caring. You are selfless and do what you can to help people simply because it's the right thing to do," replied Haruka as Itachi walked closer to her, maintaining eye contact the entire time. He stopped right in front her, only a few inches from her.

"Is that what you think?" he asked as he took a small step closer.

"No," she said to him as she continued to look him in the eye, "it's what I know."

"I see. Do you know what I think, no, what I know about you?" he asked her with a sweet smile.

"No," she said, a blush forming on her face. **'My heart is beating so fast. I'm so nervous. I swear if he kills me now, I'm gonna haunt his ass.'**

"I know you are a beautiful soul. You love and care for others, no matter what. You love to help children and guide them. You love your friends and family like no other. I know you are a strong daughter, a reliable friend, and a helpful person. Whenever I need you, you are there for me. Even when I can't tell you what's bugging me, you still sit there and simply tell me how your day went. You never force me to be someone I'm not. You don't care that I might be doing something bad, you know I wouldn't hurt you," he said as he got even closer to her, barely two inches away from her face.

"Itachi?" she whispered with a blush; her eyes half lidded.

"That's why I love you," he said. He then quickly leaned in to kiss her.

As their lips met, he closed his eyes. Haruka looked at him in shock, eyes wide and clear. She then slowly closer her eyes and leaned into the kiss. After a while, the two separated from their sweet kiss. They both opened their eye and looked at each other.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that," said Haruka with a blush. Itachi smirked at her.

"Is that a good thing?" he asked her as he moved a piece of hair behind her ear, causing her to blush more.

"Yeah," she said with a sweat smile. She then looked at the ground. "I love you too."

"I'm happy to hear that," he said to her as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

'**This so didn't go the way I thought it would. I'm so happy about that,'** thought Haruka to herself with a smile as she leaned her head against Itachi's chest.

"I think we should get you home so that you can pack," said Itachi as he grabbed her left hand in his right and turned to start walking. **'I will protect you, no matter the cost. I won't let you die.'**

'**What does this future hold now?'** wondered Haruka as they continued forward. **'Will this only be a moment of happiness? Or will it last?'**


	8. We All Have To Die

We All Have to Die

"So, everyone is here?" asked Shikaku as Natsu finally made it to the meeting spot.

"Sorry for running late," said Natsu, out of breath.

"This is diplomat Roku-san," continued Shikaku as if Natsu never said anything. A tall man in tan robes stepped forward. He was an older gentleman with no hair and gray eyes. He looked at the Genin with a slight smile. "We will be escorting him back to Suna."

"Right," said the other three.

"These are my students; Haruka Uchiha, Hana Inuzuka, and Natsu Ryuu," said Shikaku as he looked at Roku.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," replied Roku with a bow.

"Let's get going."

The five walked outside of the gate. Hana led the group as her nose and the noses of her ninken would be able to smell an enemy coming. Haruka walked behind her with Roku due to her close combat abilities. Shikaku and Natsu followed behind since they were long range.

"It should take us about a week to get there. We will spend a few days there and then come back," said Shikaku to the group.

"We get to explore?" asked Natsu with a smile.

"Is that all you care about?" asked Hana with a laugh.

"Roku-san, what type of enemies do you think we will see on this trip?" asked Haruka after some time. The group had been walking for a few good hours.

"Mostly bandits, but recently their have been reports of rogues in the area, so there is a possibility of meeting up with them," said Roku as they walked.

"Do you know who?" asked Shikaku as he tried to make plans in case there was a meeting.

"A few ninja from Suna who defected. I know they are wind nature and use fans," said Roku as he scrunched up her eyebrows in thought. Shikaku made a humming noise.

"Hopefully we wont have to worry about them, but its better to be prepared then not have a plan at all," said Shikaku as he looked up at the sky. "Remember, as ninja, we must always be ready. I expect the three of you to be on alert at all times. Though we might not run in to them, there is still a chance that we might."

"Right," said the three students.

'**This should be a good mission. It should help me focus on my thoughts,' **thought Haruka to herself. She then started to lightly blush. **'I can't believe Itachi confessed to me. We even kissed! I feel so happy about it!'**

"Three people, incoming. They're ninja, don't smell that strong," said Hana, breaking everyone's thoughts.

"Get in formation," said Shikaku as they all got ready. Not even a few seconds after getting in formation, three rouge ninja appeared. All were dressed in all black and it was impossible to tell them apart from each other. Their faces were covered completely except for their eyes.

"Well, well, what do we have here? Three brats, an old man, and a ninja," laughed one of the men as they surrounded the group.

"Troublesome," said Shikaku as he used his Shadow Possession to stop the man behind him. Natsu quickly reacted and killed the man.

Hana sent her ninken to attack the other two while Haruka stayed and protected Roku. In just a few minutes, the other two men were dead.

"Well that was easy," said Haruka, uncaring. **'Staples!'**

"They were amateurs. We might face stronger opponents later," said Shikaku as he grabbed the bodies and put them together. He then nodded to Haruka.

"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!" Haruka lit the bodies on fire, destroying them.

"Let's go."

The group continued to walk until night fall. They then put together a camp for the night.

"I'll take first watch," said Haruka to the others over the dinner they had made. Natsu had caught a wild hog and, with the help of Shikaku, skinned and cooked it.

"I'll take second, then Natsu, finally Hana," replied Shikaku.

After they finished eating they went to sleep with Haruka watching.

'**I need to stay alert, but I need to think about everything that has happened so far and what might happen,'** thought Haruka as she sat up on the branch of a tree.

'**So far, everything has followed the plan of what was supposed to happen. Or, at least, what I think I know should have happened. Though, I know for a fact, I wasn't in it. I also don't know about Michiru. Could we change things? There are so many factors I don't know about. When I get back, will the massacre happen?**

'**He told me he loved me. Can that change things?'** question Haruka as she blushed. She then shook her head and focused back on her surroundings. She continued to split her mind between paying attention to her surroundings and thinking about everything going on with her clan.

"What are you thinking about?" asked a Shikaku after some time. He had woken up an hour early, shocking Haruka.

"Sensei," asked Haruka in shock. **'Why is he up early? Nara's never wake up early.'**

"You've seemed troubled," he replied as he moved to sit next to her on a tree.

'**What should I tell him? I can tell him I think something is wrong with the clan, that should put me in a good light, right?'**

"I'm worried about my clan," said Haruka as she looked toward the sky.

"Oh?"

"It just seems like everyone is angry now a days. I never know why. I know there has been a few clan meetings, but I'm never around to go to them. From what my mom has told me, they are simply talking about outer clan relations."

"Outer clan relations?" asked Shikaku as he looked at his student.

"Relations with other clans, with the village, so on and so forth," said Haruka as she then snorted. "When we first became a team, Fugaku-san told me that I had to show you that I am good for something since I couldn't graduate earlier than the other students. He said that I represented the clan, so I had to show that I was the best. I had to make you think that you were lucky to have me on your team.

"It's so stupid since you're so smart. Why would you care if an arrogant Uchiha was on your team? In all honesty, I just wanted my team to like me for me. Not because of my clan or my abilities, but because they like me for me."

"You wanted to be with people your age, didn't you," said Shikaku with a smirk. "You remind me of me, in a way. You put in effort, more than I did or my son does, but you make sure to make it seem like you are doing all you can. You didn't want the pressure that comes with being a genius. You want to be you," he said as he looked at her.

"Itachi told me not to push it. I saw his stress. Shisui-nii told me the same thing. They were afraid of what would be expected of me."

"That's good of them. They care," he said as Haruka smiled with a blush.

"Yeah." She said as she looked toward the side.

"Go to sleep. I'll take watch now," he said as he lightly hit her back.

"Don't fall asleep," she laughed as she jumped onto the ground and took his sleeping bag.

"Yeah, yeah," he replied as he watched her. She fell asleep in a few minutes.

'**She's a smart girl. Those boys were right to tell her not to push it,'** he thought as he glared at the sky. **'The Uchiha's are angry. About what? I know they started to get mad about how they were forced to move. The only question I have is if they are going to use that anger against us.**

'**If so, then where will she fall into this? I can tell she isn't a part of anything. Hopefully, if anything does happen, I can get her out of it before it gets to bad. A Nara protecting an Uchiha. Who would of ever of thought that?'**

_**~A Week Later~**_

The group had finally made it to Suna with little trouble. They had encountered a few more bandits and minor rogues, but other than that, there were no problems.

"Thank you for the escort," said Roku with a bow once the group walked into the village.

"No problem," said Shikaku with a drawl. He then turned to his team. "You guys go to the inn and I'll meet you there. I need to go meet with the Kazekage."

"Yes Sensei," said the three as a Suna Chunin directed them toward the inn.

_**~At The Inn~**_

"Man, what a tiring mission!" said Natsu as he laid on the floor of their room.

"Yeah, but I feel like we learned a lot so far," said Hana with a smile as she set out food for the Haimaru brothers.

"That's true. And we still have to go back and who knows how that's going to go. We might still run into those rouge ninja that Roku-sand was telling us about," said Haruka as she sat on a couch. She then sighed and got up. "I guess I'll make dinner. I have supplies for it. I didn't want to spend extra money here if I can."

"Yes! I love your cooking!" said Hana with stars in her eyes. **'I can't wait to rub it in Kiba's face!'**

"YES!" yelled out Natsu as Haruka walked toward the kitchen to start cooking. **'FOOD!'**

"Why are you so excited?" asked Shikaku as he walked into the room, looking at Natsu like he was crazy.

"Haruka is making us food!" he said with a bright smile.

"Ah," was all he got as a reply.

_**~After Dinner~**_

"That was really good, Haruka," said Shikaku as the group sat at the table.

"Thanks! I already decided that when I become a Jonin, I'm gonna make sure that me team can cook and kick ass! That way they will never need a man and can kick his ass when needed!" said Haruka with a smirk, scaring Natsu. Shikaku laughed.

"Well, hopefully you will have my son's future wife on your team."

"Well, then he better get ready to have his ass kicked!" she said with a laugh.

"Poor men," laughed Hana.

"Anyway," said Shikaku as he rolled his eyes, "I've decided that we will be leaving tomorrow morning."

"What! I thought we were supposed to stay for a few days," complained Natsu. **'All the food I could have tried.'**

"The Kazekage wants us to leave as soon as possible."

"Why?" asked Haruka with her head tilted to the right.

"Some problems with the village and he doesn't want us involved. Said something about how he doesn't want us to feel hassled to help. It fine with me, the sooner we leave, the sooner I can go home and nap."

'**Of course,' **thought the three Genin with a sweat drop. The ninken also had sweat drops.

'**I wonder if these are some of the problems that cause the invasion during the Chunin exams in a few years,'** wonders Haruka.

"Let's go to sleep and we will leave in the morning. What a drag, we have to leave so early," he said with a sigh as he got up and took his dishes to the kitchen.

"I'll wash the dishes," said Hana as she also got up and gathered the rest of the dishes.

"Time to sleep!" said Natsu with a smile as he got up and walked to one of the rooms. The one he was going to share with Shikaku.

"Night," said Haruka as she also stood up and walked to the room she would be sharing with Hana and the ninken.

'**I'll take a shower and then go to bed,'** she thought as she took out her sealing scrolls and got some clean cloths.

_**~The Next Morning~**_

"It should be a shorter journey," said Shikaku as his team got to the gates of the village.

"Yes! I can't wait to get home," said Natsu.

"The good thing is that I managed to get a souvenir for Kiba," said Hana.

"When did you have time for that?" asked Haruka with a raised eyebrow.

"I have my ways," said Hana with a grin.

"Right?" said Shikaku as he also raised an eyebrow, though he did look impressed.

"Lets go!" yelled Natsu, impatiently.

"Troublesome. Alright, let's go."

"Right!" said the other three as the ninken barked in agreement. They then took off.

"I want to make it to the forest as soon as possible, then we can rest. It's a drag to camp in the sand," said Shikaku after a while.

"Agreed!" said Natsu with a smile.

"It's going to be so hard to clean this sand from the Haimaru brothers' fur," complained Hana.

"Or to get it out of our hair," said Haruka with a sigh.

"You want to know what I'm excited for? To see the kids in the orphanage. It's been a while," said Natsu.

"You really miss them, don't you," asked Hana with a smile. Natsu nodded.

"I always try to make time for the kids. I want to help them become ninja. Since I was in the orphanage, I can really relate to a lot of them," said Natsu with a found smile, causing the others to have smiles, or in Shikaku's case, smirk, in return.

"Well, after we get back, you guys can take a week's rest. I'm going to be doing something for my clan, so I won't be able to take you guys out on missions. Though, I would like you guys to train for the Chunin exams," said Shikaku as they continued to run.

"Yes!" said Haruka and Natsu in excitement.

"I'll have mom train with me more," said Hana as the Haimaru brothers barked in agreement.

The three Genin talked about how they would train for the Chunin exams. They talked in excitement for a few hours as Shikaku smirked. He was happy that his students seemed so dedicated, though he would probably be taking a nap when they trained.

The group seemed at peace as they neared the forest when Hana got quite, causing the other two to stop talking and look at her.

"What's wrong, Hana?" asked Haruka, causing Shikaku to glance at them.

"Someone is up at ahead," is all she said.

"One person?" asked Shikaku as he moved closer to them.

"I don't know," said Hana as she narrowed her eyes. The Haimaru brothers barked and whined. "We can't tell for sure. It's like they're blocking their sent and presence in general."

"Troublesome," mumbled Shikaku. "Get ready for an attack. These might be those rouges Roku-san told us about."

"Right," said the other three as they got ready by making sure they could access their weapons fast enough.

They reached the forest and continued to run for a few minutes when several ninja appeared and started to attack. They're seemed to be a total of 20. 14 went after Shikaku while the rest split into two and went after the Genin.

"Shit!" was all Team Four heard from their Sensei as they were all separated. "Fight and meet back as soon as possible!"

'**Fuck!'** thought Haruka as she activated her Sharingan and put her hand on her sword to draw it out. She was forced to run in the opposite direction from her teammates.

"An Uchiha," said one of the ninja. He had red hair and red eyes. He wore an all dark blue outfit and smirked at the teen.

"Think about all the fun we could have with her!" said the other ninja as he looked at Haruka with perverted eyes. He had black hair and brown eyes. He wore an outfit similar to the other man.

"More like I'm going to have fun taking you assholes out!" said Haruka as she attacked with her sword.

The three fought harshly. But luckily for Haruka, her Sharingan helped her big time. She managed to see the attacks before they could land a critical hit to her, though she still did get a few cuts.

'**I need to end this soon and make it back to the team,'** she thought as she dodged another attack. **'There!'**

She swung her sword as she went pass the two men, severing their heads from their bodies.

"Now to get to the others," she said out loud as she looked at the bodies. She was about to go when a third man appeared in front of her. **'Shit! I don't have time to dodge!'**

The man was about to swing his ax down on her when a kunai hit him in the head, killing him and causing his body to fall backwards.

"What would you do without me?" asked Natsu as he appeared behind his friend. Haruka laughed.

"What about the others?" asked Haruka as she turned to her friend.

"Hana went to help Sensei while I looked for you. We should head back."

"Right," said Haruka as she went to move, only to notice a figure in a mask. "Another one?"

"Shit," said Natsu as he got ready to fight. The figure, who they thought was male, wore all black and had on an Orange mask with stripes. His hair was dark and long.

"Who are you?" asked Haruka. **'Wait a minute! Isn't that Obito? Or could it just be a coincident?'**

The two worked together to fight the man, but he blocked their attacks without so much as a care. He played with them.

"Is that the best you can do?" said the man as he blocked another attack. He was about to say something else when he was attacked by shuriken.

"Haruka! Natsu!" yelled Hana as she, her ninken, and Shikaku appeared.

"This man has to be at least Jonin level," said Haruka to Shikaku. He nodded.

"Get ready!" he said as he attacked. The others following behind him.

'**He's playing with us,'** though Shikaku as the man seemed to dodge easily. He even dodged Hana's Fang Over Fang technique.

'**There!'** thought Haruka as she used her sword to impale him, only for it to go right through him. It was like he was a ghost. **'It really is Obito!'**

"Keep trying, little Uchiha," said the man as he threw everyone back.

"Damn it," said Natsu as he and Haruka were thrown in one direction while Shikaku and Hana where thrown in another, the Haimaru brothers following Hana.

"We can do this," said Natsu as he moved. "He's just one of those rouges."

"He's to powerful to be with them!" yelled Haruka at him. **'We need to retreat.'**

"You're going down!" said Natsu as he ran forward to attack, ignoring what Haruka said.

"Natsu! Wait!" yelled Haruka, Shikaku, and Hana.

Haruka tried to run forward to stop him, but time seemed to slow down. No matter how much chakra she forced into her legs, she couldn't move fast enough. She watched in slow motion as the man in the mask gave no indication of caring and with movements to quick for Haruka's Sharingan to catch, he swung his sword and beheaded Natsu.

Team Four watched in shock as their friend and teammate's head flew from his body, his face in shock. His body landed next to the man, weapon still in its hand, ready to fight. His head rolled to a stop some feet away.

"Natsu!" yelled Haruka and Hana in shock as their eyes started to tear up.

The masked man watched Haruka as her eyes changed. They tomoe came together to form a pinwheel in her eyes. She had unlocked Magenkyo Sharingan.

"Back ups are always need," said the masked man. Haruka looked at him and held her sword strong as she held back her tears.

'**I have to keep fighting. For Natsu!'** she thought as she got ready to protect herself. Before the mask man could attack her, if that even was his intentions, she couldn't tell, when he froze.

"Shadow Possession, complete," said Shikaku with a grimace as he completed his technique.

"Perhaps, it is time I left," said the masked man as looked at Haruka. His body then seemed to swirl and disappeared into a worm hole or something, shocking the others. Once he was gone, Haruka dropped to the group, crying.

"Haruka!" yelled Shikaku as he ran to her. Hana followed him after collecting herself. Once in front of her friend, she cried.

"I tried to stop him, but he attacked," cried Haruka as Hana held her.

"Shit," said Shikaku as he looked at the body of his only male student. **'Who was that man? He definitely had a lot of power. This shouldn't have happened. He seemed fixed on Haruka, though.'**

"I'm going to collect his body and then we can leave. We will keep going to the village, no stops," said Shikaku as he walked toward Natsu's body. "I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough."

"Th-there's a lake a little fr-from here," said Hana with a stutter.

"Le-let's go," said Haruka as the two walked away, the Haimaru brothers following with sad whines.

'**Those girls.'** Thought Shikaku as he collected Natsu's remains. "I'm sorry."

_**~A Few Days Later~**_

"Welcome back," said one of the Chunin at the gate. He glanced at them and was about to ask about their missing member when Shikaku glared at him.

"Your team need to report to the Hokage-sama, immediately," said the other Chunin.

"The kids," started Shikaku, only to be cut off.

"Hokage-sama's orders. Your team must report as soon as you enter the village."

"Shit. Fine," said Shikaku as he looked at his team. "Let's go."

"What about Natsu?" asked Hana.

"I will take care of it," said the first Chunin, accepting the scroll that contained Natsu's body and then leaving.

Team Four then walked to the Hokage's tower.

"I promise you guys that after this, you will have a break," said Shikaku as he lead the them to the tower, but he noticed something weird. **'Why is everyone watching us?'**

They traveled in silence, all the while Shikaku tried to figure out what was going on, his students were simply looking at the ground as they walked. The Haimaru brothers following slowly.

Once at the Hokage's tower, the climbed the stairs. The secretary saw them and was about to say something, when she noticed Haruka and her eyes widened.

"Please, go ahead and see the Hokage-sama," said the women.

'**Haruka? Why was she shocked to see her?'** thought Shikaku as they walked to the door. He knocked and waited for a voice to tell him to enter. Once given the okay, he and his team walked in to see the Hokage sitting at his desk with paperwork on it. He was smoking from his pipe,

"Shikaku-san, I'm happy to see you're back," said the Hokage with a smile, though that turned into a frown when he noticed one member missing. "What happened to Natsu Ryuu?"

"He's dead," said Shikaku as he glanced at the girls who simply looked at the ground. "We encountered some rogues when on the way back, but the man who killed Natsu wasn't a part of them. I believe he might have wanted Haruka."

"Haruka?" said Hana in shock.

"It's my fault?" whispered Haruka in shock.

"No, my dear, it's not. But I fear I might know why he had an interest in you," said the Hokage as he looked at the Uchiha girl in sadness.

"What do you mean?" asked Haruka as she narrowed her eyes. '**What could he know about Obito?'**

"I'm afraid there was an incident while you were away."

"An incident?" asked Hana in confusion, her ninken moving closer to the girls.

"Sir?" asked Shikaku in confusion.

"A few days after you left, Itachi Uchiha massacred the Uchiha clan," said the Hokage, cutting to the chase.

"Wh-what?' said Haruka in shock as she dropped to her knees. Hana followed her. **'I thought I had more time. Why would he do it after only telling me that he loved me.'**

"I know this is hard for you, after just losing a teammate and now finding out about this, but do you know of any reason why Itachi would do this?" asked the Hokage, seriously.

"She couldn't know!" said Hana in anger, her ninken growling. "He just told her he loved her the day before we left!"

"Did he?" asked the Hokage in shock.

"He told me we were going to go on a date. He even asked my mom," said Haruka with as she cried. **'I know it was going to happen, but not so suddenly. I thought there would be more time. And Natsu is gone too! What type of fucked up world is this!'**

"Where there any survivors?" asked Shikaku as he looked at the Uchiha girl in sadness. **'She doesn't deserve this.'**

"Two survivors," said the Hokage as he also looked at Haruka with sadness in his eyes**. 'I have failed you child. I am sorry.'**

"Two?" asked Haruka in shock, eyes wide. **'Sasuke and who else?'**

"His younger brother Sasuke Uchiha and an orphan by the name of Michiru Uchiha."

"Sasuke and Michiru are okay?" said Haruka as she stood up. "I-I have to go to them. They're probably so scared."

"They stayed in the hospital. They're together right now. But Haruka, I need to ask you something important; are you willing to take care of them," said the Hokage. He was about to say more when Haruka cut him off.

"I will take care of them. I need to see them. Then I need to cl-clean the compound," said Haruka as she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

"You realize that it will be a lot of work."

"I know that and I'm willing to take care of them. We need family," said Haruka as she stared the Hokage down. Shikaku sighed and turned to the Hokage.

"I'll take her to hospital," he said as he walked to her. He nodded at Hana.

"I'll go home and ask my mom to if she cans end clan members to help clean up," she said as she stood up, pulling Haruka with her.

"I already had some AMBU clean up, for the most part, all that need to be done is fixing some things. I'll send some people to help," said the Hokage as he nodded at the group. "I would like your report by the end of the week, Shikaku."

"Right," said the Nara.

"Thank you," said Haruka as she bowed. **'I have to be strong for those two. No matter what.'**

Team Four then left the building, far more broken then they would have ever thought possible.


	9. Not Alone

Not Alone

Shikaku and Haruka walked to the hospital in silence. Shikaku was letting Haruka soak everything in. After a few minutes, he opened his mouth.

"You need to get checked when we get there."

"What?" she asked, in a daze.

"The team still needs to get check out at the hospital," was his reply.

"Right. I'll do that after I talk to the kids. They need me more than I need a doctor," replied Haruka as they got closer to the hospital.

'**I should let her and the two kids stay with me while we fix up the compound. It will be troublesome, but I am her Sensei,'** thought Shikaku with a sigh.

The two finally made it to the hospital. When they walked in, they went directly to the front desk. The lady at the front desk was going to say something when Haruka cut her off.

"Where are Sasuke and Michiru Uchiha?" she asked. The lady glared at her.

"I don't need to tell you that. What right do you think you have to come in here and ask for those poor children? Do you think that getting close to them will get you something?" accused the lady, bring people's attention to them.

'**Did this bitch seriously just called me a gold digger! I gonna fucking kill her!' **thought Haruka as she got ready to attack. Luckily for the lady, Shikaku cut in.

"She is their last living relative. Haruka Uchiha. I believe she has the right to see those children as she is fairly close to them," he told the women with a glare. **'I feel like I should have let Haruka get her, but I am her Sensei, so I have to look out for her. What a drag.'**

"U-Uchiha?" said the lady in shock. Another nurse quickly intervened.

"Miss Uchiha! They're this way! Please follow me!" she said as she led the two ninja toward the children. "Something you should understand is that the children haven't been very responsive. They may or may not respond well when they see you."

The three walked along the corridors and up some stairs to a room. The nurse walked up to the door.

"Michiru, Sasuke, you have a visitor," said a nurse as she opened the door. The two didn't look up, simply continued to stare at their laps.

"Is that how I get greeted?" asked a familiar female voice. The two looked up in shock to see Haruka there along with her Sensei.

"Haruka-nee!" yelled the two children as they jumped off the bed and ran into her arms. They cried as she hugged them close to her.

"I'm sorry you two had to go through that while I was away, but I'm here now. I will protect both of you," said Haruka as she glanced at her Sensei. Shikaku Nara nodded at her.

"I'm going to go. You three can stay with me while we clean up the compound," he told them. Haruka smiled.

"Thank you. Your son is their age, right? I think it would be nice for them to have someone else around."

"Yes. He has several friends that I'm sure will be there. I'll see you later. Make sure to get check before you leave, Haruka."

"I know," said Haruka in a tired voice as her Sensei walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

"Are you hurt!" asked Sasuke in fear.

"I'm exhausted, more than anything," she said with a sigh. "Let's go sit on the bed. I have to talk to you both about some things." **'I don't sense any Anbu nearby, that's good.'**

"First, I'm going to tell you what happened on my mission. It's important that I do. Second, I want you both to tell me what happened, in detail. I know that scares you, but the more I know, the better I can understand. Thirdly, we will discuss what will happen from here. Do you both understand?" asked Haruka as she sat the two children on the bed next to each other, Sasuke on the right and Michiru on the left.

"Yes," said the children as she looked at them. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Okay. First, don't be scared from what your about to see," she said as she opened her eyes to show them her Mongekyo Sharingan. They both gasped.

"How did you?" asked Michiru in shock.

"Itachi said that you had to kill your best friend!" screamed Sasuke in anger.

"No. You don't," said Haruka, shocking the two children as she turned her eyes back to normal. "One of my teammates died in front of me. He was like a brother to me. That is what activated this. It's a misconception that we have to be the killer. Simply losing someone you love is enough."

"Then why did Itachi say that?" asked Sasuke, confused and angered.

"It might be because that's what he thinks causes it."

"So, we don't have to kill our best friend to get them?" question Michiru in fear.

"No," said Haruka causing the two to sigh in relief. "Now tell me what happened."

The two children went on to tell her about everything they could remember from that day. From when they left school, to when they confronted Itachi. They told their story with faces full of tears, but they kept strong.

"What are we going to do?" asked Sasuke.

"Well first, I need to figure out why Itachi did this," replied Haruka as she looked at them. **'Though I already know why. I have to make them think about it.'**

"But we already told you why," said Michiru in confusion.

"But I don't think that's the truth. Not that I don't believe that's what he told you. But I've known Itachi for a long time. You may not have known this, but when Shisui died, he came to me. Itachi cried, so there's no way he would have hurt him.

"You also said that he said I was a test. If I was a test, then why did he get so embarrassed when we told your mom we were going to start dating. He blushed like no tomorrow when she brought up future weddings and kids."

The two laughed at that, remembering it as the only time Itachi lost his cool.

"There is a reason. One we don't know about. It might have something to do with the meetings the clan was having."

"Meetings?" asked Michiru.

"You mean the ones at the shrine?" asked Sasuke as he tried to think about it.

"Yes. I could never go since I always had missions. Itachi even asked me about them and seemed relieved when I told him that I never went to any of them. Something might have been going on with the clan that we didn't know about," said Haruka, causing the children to widen their eyes. **'Good. If I can make them think about it, this might just end up changing everything.'**

"I know this might be hard for you both to believe, but I think that the Clan was planning something."

"Planning something?" asked Michiru. Sasuke gasped.

"Yes. I'm not sure what it is, but the only way we can truly find out is by finding Itachi. Do you understand."

"Yes," said the two with determination.

'**If Haruka-nee thinks something was wrong, then she has to be right,'** thought Sasuke as he looked at the older girl.

"Haruka-nee, what do we do now?" asked Michiru.

"Now. We clean up. My other teammate and her family, as well as several of the Ambu are cleaning up the compound as we speak. We will then go in and make in like it once was. It will be hard, but we can do this, together.

"After that, I will begin training you both. You will not let revenge guide you. Do you both understand? Revenge is a double-edged sword. You make a grave for your enemy and yourself."

"We understand," said the children.

"You heard Shikaku-sensei. We will stay with him for a few days then move back into the compound once it's all fixed up. I expect you two to get along with his son. I might even ask Hana to bring her brother Kiba along."

"He's so loud though," complained Sasuke with a pout, causing Haruka to chuckle.

"Is that so?"

"Yeah! And Shikamaru is always sleeping!" complained Michiru.

"Well, I was talking to Sensei during the trip and he told us that their compound has a forest with deer in it. Maybe the two of you can get Shikamaru to take you to see them," said Haruka with a found smile as the kids eyes widen in surprise.

"Really!" asked Sasuke in shock.

"Yes. Really."

"Can we feed them?" asked Michiru with a blush.

"I'm not sure. We can ask him later. Okay?" asked Haruka as she patted the children's heads. They both nodded. "Good. Now let me go get checked out by a doctor, and then we can leave. Sound good?"

"Can we come with you to see the doctor?" asked Sasuke with a small blush.

"Of course," said Haruka as she backed away from the bed, letting the children jump off of it. Sasuke took her left hand while Michiru took her right.

'**It will be hard; be we can do this. I know it,'** thought Haruka as they walked out of the room.


	10. Helping Hand

Friends Help

"Hello, Ma'am. I'm one of Shikaku-Sensei's students; Haruka Uchiha," said Haruka as she, Michiru, and Sasuke showed up at the Nara compound.

"Oh, yes!" said the women a with long dark brown hair and brown eyes opened the door. She was wearing a pink dress with a white apron. "My name is Yoshino Nara! I've already set up a few rooms. I wasn't sure if you guys wanted to share a room or not, so one room is big enough for the three of you."

"Thank you. This is Sasuke and Michiru. I'm sure we will figure out tonight, but I think we might end up sharing a room," said Haruka with a sweet smile. **'Isn't she supposed to be scary.'**

"Of course," she said as the four walked into the living room. "SHIKAKU! GET OVER HERE! YOUR STUDENT IS HERE!"

'**There's the fear factor,'** thought Haruka with a sweat drop as the two kids hid behind her. They all listened as they heard a set of footsteps run toward the room they were in.

"I'm here," said Shikaku, out of breath. He then looked at the Uchihas. He was about to say something when Michiru cut him off.

"Can we see the deer?" she asked. She then started to blush when she realized she asked that out loud. **'I didn't mean to blurt that out!'**

"Well, the other kids are here for the same thing. Hana came with Kiba to see you three, so might as well make a trip out of it," laughed Shikaku. He then looked at the ceiling. "When did I become a babysitter? What a drag."

"It's alright old man. We can get you a cane if you'd like," said Haruka, making the younger Uchihas laugh.

"Brat," he replied with a smirk. He then turned to exit the room. "Let's go to the others before Hana smells you and jumps you."

"Smell?" asked Sasuke as they followed him, leaving Yoshino behind.

"The Inuzuka Clan has a strong sense of smell," replied the man as he opened up a sliding door to a huge room. He then walked in and moved to the side to let the other three get in. Once in, they saw a group of children and Hana.

"Haruka!" yelled Hana as she jumped to get to her friend. She had been on the floor, playing a game with some of the children. She ran to teammate and hugged her.

"Hana. I saw you a little over an hour ago," said Haruka with a laugh, though she did hug her friend.

"Well, it's been an hour to long!" she then looked at Sasuke and Michiru with smiles, causing the two to smile shyly back at her. "And how have you two been?"

"We're better now," replied Michiru as she shyly looked at the older girl.

'**Hopefully, this will save Sasuke from the path he was originally supposed to walk,' **thought Haruka with a smile. She then looked at the children who were watching them.

"Sup?" she said as the children looked away shyly, causing Hana to laugh.

"Well, let's start!" laughed Hana.

"What a drag. My name is Shikamaru Nara," said a boy the same age as Sasuke and Michiru who wore gray short sleeved shirt with his clan symbol on the front and dark brown pants. His hair similar to his fathers.

"My name is Rei Kumori," said a girl with dark purple hair that stopped at her shoulders and sky-blue eyes. She wore a purple short sleeved shirt and dark blue pants.

"I'm Ami Sora," said a girl with short blue hair and gold eyes. She wore a mint green shirt with brown pants.

"Hi! I'm Usagi Tenshi!" said a girl with long blond hair that she had in pigtails and violet eyes. She wore a light blue shirt with short sleeves. She had on white shorts that went to her knees.

"My name is Choji Akimichi," said a boy. He had brown hair that was spiky, dark colored eyes, and red swirls on his cheek. He wore a green sweater that had a lighter color for its top and dark blue pants.

"My name is Kiba! I'm Hana's brother!" said a boy with the same face markings as Hana. He had short brown spiky hair and brown eyes. He wore a light brown long-sleeved shirt and gray shorts. He then pointed at a white dog with brown ears. "And this is Akamaru!"

"My name is Haruka Uchiha," said Haruka, shocking the younger children. "I'm sure all of you know Sasuke and Michiru already."

"Yeah!" said Kiba with a smile. "We have them in our class!"

"Well then," laughed Haruka. "I hope you will all be friends."

"Michiru would like to feed the deer. Does anyone else want to go?" asked Shikaku. The children buzzed with excitement, except for Shikamaru who was used to it, but went along with it since Rei would pull him along if he didn't go.

"We can?" asked Choji in surprise.

"Of course. Shikamaru, why don't you take the other kids."

"What a drag," said Shikamaru as he moved to go to the back, the others following him. Even Sasuke and Michiru left, excitedly talking to the others about seeing and petting deer.

"Are they okay?" asked Shikaku as he moved to sit down on one of the matts on the floor. Hana and Haruka sat in front of him.

"They're obviously shaken up, and so am I, but I feel we will make it through this. Them hanging out with those kids will help. They've only ever hung out with Itachi, Shisui, and me," said Haruka as she looked at her Sensei.

"I'll make sure to bring Kiba by and tell him to hand out with them," said Hana with a smile toward her friend.

"Shikamaru will probably head toward them, meaning Rei will, and in turn, so will the rest of them," said Shikaku as he thought about it.

"I feel like this will some how result with a bunch of kids at my house," said Haruka with a sweat drop.

"Speaking of houses; my mom took some people to help clean the Uchiha Compound. They are going to re paint and fix what ever they can. Mom said they will throw out ruined furniture, but wont replace it since it would be to much trouble to do. They will also clean up the houses and put things in boxes," said Hana.

"Thank you," said Haruka with a sad smile. **'I don't think I would have been able to do it at this time.'**

"I told them to leave your room alone," said Hana as Haruka nodded.

"Sensei, I have a favor to ask," said Haruka, causing the other two to look at her.

"What is it?" asked Shikaku. In response, Haruka flashed her eyes, shocking the other two.

"This is called the Mongekyo Sharingan. You get it by seeing someone close to you die. There are some side effects."

"Side effects?"

"The more you sue it, the faster you go blind," said Haruka, shocking the other two.

"Blind?" asked Hana in shock.

"Yes. The only way to get around it is to take the eyes of a close family member, a sibling or parent. Michiru doesn't know this, but like my father, her mother had her eyes sealed in case she would ever need them. I need to get the eyes from Fugaku-san and Mikoto-san, in case Sasuke needs them.

"I also need to check the bodies. I need to make sure they are okay."

"The Hokage sealed their bodies so you can decide what to do with them. I will accompany you for this," said Shikaku with a frown. **'Could someone of taken their eyes? It couldn't have been Itachi. Then someone in the village?'**

"Do you think someone would do something?" asked Hana in shock.

"People do crazy things for power, even ordering the execution of an entire Clan," said Haruka with a glare, shocking the others. **'I need help if I'm going to save Itachi.'**

"You think someone ordered the execution?" asked Shikaku in shock.

"Itachi is a pacifist. He only became a ninja because it was expected of him," said Haruka as she remembered the walk they had right before she left on her mission.

_**~Flashback~**_

"_Haruka, what do you think about being a ninja?" asked Itachi as the two held hands as he walked her back to her house._

"_Honestly, I think it's sad that we have so much violence, but it cant be helped at this time," said Haruka with a frown._

"_What about the Clan?" he asked her as he stopped, causing her to stop as well._

"_I think we push our Clan members to hard. I know Sasuke feels it. I've noticed that many Clan members seem to hate the village." __**'I might as well tell some truth.'**_

"_When I become Clan Head, I plan on changing that," said Itachi as he moved to stand in front of her and put his left hand on her right cheek._

"_Itachi?" asked Haruka with a blush._

"_It may take a few years, but once I'm Clan Head, I plan on taking the pressure off of the younger generation. You're right about Sasuke, he's stressed because Oto-san expects so much. I want to change that. I want us to be able to fix our relationship with the village as well as be a pride for the village," said Itachi as he leaned his head forward, putting his forehead to hers. "The Clan forces us to be the best, no matter what. We aren't. Some of us have trouble but are forced to overcome them in ways that wont help us. We are forced to grow up to quickly. I want to be able to change that. I didn't want to be a ninja, really. I only wanted to be strong to protect my family and you, but now, my Oto-san sees me as strong and expects even more of me. I want to change it for my children when they come."_

"_I know you can do it," said Haruka with a smile. __**'Maybe this means things will change?'**_

"_I would like to have you as the person to stand by myside," said Itachi with a light blush._

"_Are you asking me to marry you? We're only 13," said Haruka with a bright blush. Itachi smiled._

"_It wont be for a long while, I promise," laughed Itachi._

"_Good! I want to be a Jonin, you know! Maybe even Hokage?" said Haruka, confused, causing Itachi to lean back and laugh._

"_Well then, Lady Hokage, we better get you home if you want to be able to get ready for your mission. You won't be able to become Hokage if you don't make it," said Itachi as he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on her lips. The two blushed and went on their way to Haruka's house._

_**~Flashback End~**_

"I see," said Shikaku as he thought about it. **'If she's right, we will have to be careful.'**

"Haruka," said Hana as she hugged her friend who had tears flowing down her cheeks.

"Itachi said that I should make sure not to catch the eye of someone named Danzo. Shisui told me the same thing," said Haruka, shocking the man.

'**Danzo of the council?'** he thought in shock.

"Listen, the both of you, this is not to be discussed with anyone else. If you're right, then there might be someone high up in power," said Shikaku as he looked at the two of them. **'I have to find some more info before I bring it up to Inoichi or Choza.'**

"Understood," said the two as they looked at him, Hana letting go of Haruka.

"Also, there is another favor I need," said Haruka.

"Oh?" asked Shikaku with a raised eyebrow.

"Like I said, I have the Mogenkyo Sharingan. When my father died when I was a child, he had his eyes removed and sealed in a scroll for me if I ever needed them. It's currently at my house. I need to have my eyes replaced," said Haruka as she stared at Shikaku.

"Right. Once everything is settled, I will have you do the surgery," said Shikaku.

"Thank you, Sensei," said Haruka with a smile.

"Of course. It may be troublesome, but you are my student," he said with a fond smile.

"I'm also here, if you need me!" said Hana with a smile causing Haruka to grin.

The three then talked about what would happen to the Uchiha estate (going to Haruka as she was the oldest survivor, then to Sasuke when he was old enough), how many would be handled (Shikaku would help with that), how the clan would be represented (Shikaku would vote for the Uchiha's if Haruka was unavailable), how to gain more information on Danzo and others (Shikaku would figure this out before they even started trying to do it, for their safety).

After some time, the sun started to set. The children all came back, tired from playing outside. Hana took her brother and Ami home. The parents of Usagi, Choji, and Rei came for them. Everyone else had dinner and the three kids fell asleep on a couch, content with how the day turned out.

"They must be so tired," chuckled Haruka as she lifted Michiru up. Shikaku chuckled as well as he picked up Sasuke and Shikamaru.

"Well, they did run around playing ninja for a few hours," he said as he walked to the room that the Uchiha's would be staying in. Sasuke and Michiru demanded to stay with Haruka during dinner.

Shikaku waited as Haruka put Michiru down on the bed that was big enough for the three Uchihas. She then took Sasuke from Shikaku and put him down next to Michiru.

"Thank you, Sensei, for everything," said Haruka with a sad smile. 'I wish it didn't have to come to this.'

"No problem, brat," he said affectionately as he walked out of the room with Shikamaru.

'**Tomorrow will be a hard day. No, the years to come will be hard, but I have to work through it, no matter what. I have to be strong for these children,' **thought Haruka as she smiled at the two sleeping children.


	11. The Story Begins!

The Story Begins!

Episode(s): 1, 3

It's been a few years since everything has happened. Shikaku managed to help Haruka when it came to Uchiha finances and representation. He also informed Choza and Inoichi of everything they suspected when it came to the massacre and Danzo. All three keeping an eye on everything and the Uchiha to make sure they were safe.

Hana and Haruka are still the best of friends. Hana is a Chunin but no works as a medic-nin. Haruka is a Jounin and is hoping to get a team soon. Shikaku also arranged for her to get her eye surgery, giving her the Eternal Monkegyo Sharingan.

Haruka now had her long dark brown hair that went past her butt, always parted to the left. Dark colored eyes. Purple tight shirt with her clan symbol that stopped right before her bellybutton and accented her double D breast, a black skirt that stopped mid-thigh with fishnets that stopped right before her knee, the standard ninja shoes in black and with a small heel, her headband around her forehead, and nails painted black.

Sasuke and Michiru have trained with Haruka since then. They have yet to unlock the Sharingan but have worked on other Clan jutsus.

Usagi, Ami, Rei, Shikamaru, Michiru, Sasuke, Choji, and Kiba are all still friends. They train together, when they can get Shikamaru to do something, and simply hang out together. They can even be spotted with Hana and Haruka at times.

They even managed to add Ino to their group since her dad was friends with Shikaku. At first, she was a brat, but after a while, and a pissed of Haruka, she calmed down.

_**~With the Hokage~**_

The Jonin who were going to pick up their Genin teams were in the Hokage's office. Haruka was there, looking at the Hokage's crystal ball along with the others.

'**So much of a change from the anime and manga! That's a good thing though,'** thought Haruka**. 'And I get to meet Kakashi and Asuma! How the hell haven't met them before now? Bullshit!'**

"Most promising new student, Sasuke Uchiha, only beating Michiru Uchiha by a few points," said Asuma.

"Is that them?" asked Kurenai.

"Yes," said the Hokage as he looked at Haruka. "I would expect nothing less from the ones trained by you, Haruka."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama," said Haruka with a smile. **'Stop staring at me!'**

"Those two survived the Uchiha Clan massacre," said Kurenai, causing the others to look at Haruka who looked annoyed at her.

"Hm," hummed Kakashi as they continued to watch the children. "Naruto Uzumaki, hm?"

'**We are going to see them kiss!'** Thought Haruka, trying not to laugh. **'This is gonna be so fucking funny.'**

They watched as the girls fought and Naruto crouched on Sasuke's desk, a few inches away from his face.

The group watched as another boy accidently hit Naruto, causing him to fall forward and lock lips with Sasuke. Haruka busted up laughing.

"I am so holding that over him!" she laughed as the others stared at her. She had to hold on to Kakashi because she was laughing to hard. **'Best day ever!'**

They then watched as the girls attacked Naruto.

"The poor boy," said Haruka with sympathy.

"As usual, Naruto is right in the middle of some kind of trouble," said the Hokage as the other sweat dropped. Kakashi even took his hands out of his pocket to help keep Haruka up.

"After lunch, you all can go and collect your teams," said the Hokage as he then began to list teams.

"Teams Seven will go to Kakashi Hatake. Team eight will go to Kurenai Yuhi. Team nine will go to Haruka Uchiha. Team ten will go to Asuma Sarutobi. That is all."

"Looks like I got one of yours," said Kakashi as he walked up to Haruka.

"It looks like! Just so you know, Sasuke can be very arrogant at times, but he means well. Usagi is very bubbly. I don't know Naruto well enough to tell you about him," said Haruka with a smile. **'It's Kakashi!'**

"You seem to know a lot about Usagi as well," said Asuma as he and Kurenai walked over to the two.

"Yeah. The kids all hang out together."

"Kids?" asked Kurenai.

"Obviously, I know Sasuke and Michiru. I know Kiba since I was on a team with his sister, Hana. I know Shikamaru and his team. His dad was my Sensei. I know the others on my team and Usagi because they all hang out together."

"Damn," said Asuma with a whistle.

"Well then, if we have any trouble, we can ask you," said Kurenai with a smile.

"Tell them I will come for them if they fuck up," said Haruka with a smirk, causing the others to sweat drop. "Anyway, if you guys would like to know more about what I know about them, I'm hungry so I'm going to get food."

"I think that's a great idea. We will probably see you a lot if we keep them," laughed Asuma.

"I think I will stay. I need to speak to the Hokage," said Kakashi.

'**Kakashi, why!'** thought Haruka as she looked at Kakashi.

"Next time then," said Asuma with a smile.

"Well, lets go," said Haruka as they walked out of the office.

The three walked in silence and walked to a small restraint where they ordered their food.

"So," started Asuma as their food arrived, "are you both excited for your teams?"

"Yes, and you?" asked Kurenai.

"I got three kids that I know. I'm gonna have to kick ass, but I know they will listen," said Haruka with a laugh,, causing the other two to laugh.

"Yeah, apparently Shikaku wanted you to have my team, but the Hokage thought it would be better to have you have one Uchiha and Kakashi have the other," said Asuma with a smirk.

"So, you aren't wanted then?" laughed Haruka. Asuma laughed with her and Kurenai just looked confused by their laughter.

"Might be. If I fuck up, then I know who is getting my team."

"Then I would have two teams. Man, not worth it," said Haruka as she looked at her companions. "Though, the most trouble would be with Shikamaru and Rei."

"Oh, what do you mean?" asked Kurenai.

"They like each other. They might be distracted by each other," laughed Haruka.

"Well, we should make them train against each other," said Asuma with a smirk.

"Yes!" said Haruka with a grin.

The three finished eating and walked toward the Academy. They waited in a room as they were directed to by Iruka who gave them papers about their students.

'**I can't believe I have a team now. I'm going to have to train them. Hopefully, I can get them ready for the Chunin exams. I know they will do well. Though I do wonder, how did Usagi get better grades than Sakura? Does that mean she will be the one to train under Tsunade? I guess I will have to wait and see.'**


	12. Test Time!

Episode(s): None

"Alright brats! Let's go!" said Haruka as she walked into the classroom. **'I hope I do good at this whole Sensei thing.'**

"Hello Haruka-nee!" said Michiru with a smile.

"Michiru, it's Haruka-Sensei now," said Ami to her friend.

"Haruka-Sensei," said Rei with a smile.

"Well, come on!" said Haruka as she led the three girls out of the room.

They walked until they were near the swing set. Haruka sat on the swing while the three Genin sat on the floor in front of her.

"Alright, we won't do introductions because we know each other, but I do want to know your dreams," said Haruka with a smile. **'Let's see what I'm working with.'**

"I'll go first," said Rei.

"Alright, then Ami, and Michiru last," said Haruka.

"Kay," said the other two girls.

"My dream is that I want to be a good ninja. Not much to it. I want to be able to protect my friends and family. If I end up being better than I thought, then that would be great too," said Rei with a smile.

"Well, I'm not surprised," said Haruka with a sweat drop. **'It's like my own personal Shikamaru. The only difference is that she's willing to actually work.'**

"Well, I want to be able to master the Ice Style Oba-chan can do. I've only just started but I'm working on it! I learned that we come from a clan that was killed off. She said that we might be the only people. Because of that, I want to be proficient in it and show people that we are still strong!" said Ami with a determined look.

"That's a good goal," said Haruka with a smile. **'Is she somehow related to Haku? Why the fuck didn't I ask about that sooner?'**

"I want to find out the truth about what happened to the Uchiha clan. I also hope to one day restore the clan," said Michiru.

"And we will, together," said Haruka with a smile. **'I've trained her well. We will save Itachi!'**

"What do we do now?" asked Rei with confusion.

"Well, tomorrow you guys will be meeting me tomorrow at field 9 and we are going to take a test!" said Haruka with a sadistic smile, scaring the other girls. **'What fun I will have!'**

"Well, I'm going to go. I'll see you all tomorrow. Michiru, I won't be going home tonight. Later!" said Haruka as she disappeared. In reality, she was watching from a nearby tree.

"Well, we should go and prepare for anything," said Rei as she stood up and dusted herself off.

"Yeah!" said Ami with a smile.

"We can talk about it over food?" suggested Michiru.

"Yeah," said the other two girls with a smile. The three then walk off.

"Interesting students you have there," said a voice from next to Haruka as they watched the girls walk off.

"Yes, they are. And so are yours, if you bother to get to know them," she said with a smirk. **'I can't believe I'm talking to Kakashi!'**

"Hmm. We'll see, won't we?" said Kakashi as they both jumped down from the trees. He then turned to look at her. "So where are you going to stay if you aren't going home?"

"Not sure. I might go see if I can stay with the Inuzuka's."

"Hmm. I have an extra room at my place. I'll let you stay if you tell me about my students," offered Kakashi, shocking Haruka.

"Like I said earlier, I can tell you about Sasuke and Usagi, but not much about Naruto," she said in shock and confusion. **'Normally I wouldn't agree to going home with a stranger, but this is Kakashi!'**

"Is what the younger Uchiha said true? Do you think there is more to what happened to your clan?" asked Kakashi in seriousness.

"Yes," replied Haruka. **'I don't think. I know.'**

"What do you think happened?" he asked.

"I can't say, but what I do know is it has something to do with the clan. They would have secret meetings I was never able to make since I had missions on those days. Not only that, do you honestly think that Itachi killed all of our clan by himself? Itachi was good, but not that good.

"Then if you add the fact that some of my clan members were missing their eyes. From what Shikaku-Sensei and I were able to see that some of the eyes were taken. The thing is, we know Itachi didn't do it since he wouldn't have had time. They were professionally done."

"Professionally taken," said Kakashi, in shock.

"Yeah. People do crazy things for power," said Haruka. **'If I can get another person on my side, not only will I be able to save Itachi, but he will also be able to protect Sasuke.'**

"You think someone had him go after the clan, but why?" asked Kakashi, intrigued.

"My clan is powerful and dangerous; those aren't good things to be combined. From what Shikaku-Sensei told me was that after the Nine-Tailed Fox attack and the death of the Fourth, that council member Donzo seemed out to get the Uchiha clan."

"Hmm. That is a serious accusation, but to have a clan head such as Shikaku Nara back you up, says a lot."

"Can you do me a favor, watch over Sasuke for me," asked Haruka with hope in her eyes. Kakashi looked at her and his eyes softened. He put his left hand on her head and patted her.

"Of course, I won't lose another Uchiha," said Kakashi as he continued to pat her head. Haruka's face turned red.

"I am not a child! I'm probably not that much younger than you!" said Haruka in annoyance as she smacked his hand off of her head.

"How old are you? 17?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"26."

"Shut up, still not that much of an age difference," said Haruka as she looked off to the side.

"Let's go," said Kakashi after a few chuckles. He turned around and walked away.

"Where're we going?" asked Haruka in shock. **'Well, sorry kids for making your Sensei late.'**

"My place. You cans stay there tonight and we can talk more about this later," said Kakashi as he looked back at her.

"O-okay," said Haruka as she followed her fellow Jonin.

_**~The Next Morning~**_

"Alright, brats! It's time for your test!" said Haruka as she stood in front of her students. **'Thanks to Kakashi, I was able to come up with a different test for them.'**

"What are we doing?" asked Rei.

"Our test is simple; I just want to test your guys' fighting. I want the three of you to come at me with all that you got," said Haruka with a smile. **'It test teamwork, which I already know that they have, and lets me see where I need to train them more as a team as well as separately.'**

"That's all?" asked Ami.

"Yeah," said Michiru, confused.

"Yup! So, get ready!" said Haruka, causing the three girls to get into position. "On your mark, get set, go!"

The three girls quickly jumped away from their Sensei. Michiru starts the signs for her fire ball jutsu.

"You guys are going to have to try harder than that," said Haruka as she did the same jutsu. When the two jutsus met, an explosion went off.

"Water Style: Liquid Bullet!" said Rei as she shot off her attack.

"Ice Style: Ice Shuriken," said Ami as she followed up her friend's attack.

'**So, the girls know how to work together. Didn't think that it would be that fast since I know they haven't really worked together before,'** thought Haruka as she moved from the attack.

The three then went after their Sensei and the four fought with only Taijutsu. To Haruka's surprise, the three girls worked well together even though they hadn't ever really fought together. The three had their set people they would train with, but it seemed that they know some of what the others were able to do and worked hard to try and balance each other out.

After some time of fighting, Haruka noticed that her three students seemed to have trouble accurately telling what the other was going to do. Because of this, they would sometimes hit each other. Michiru was used to not having to talk to Sasuke to let him know what she was going to do. She would usually just make movements and he would know. Rei was used to Shikamaru just knowing what she is going to do since they are both on the same wavelength. Ami was used to Usagi and Kiba yelling out what they were going to do. Even so, Haruka could tell that they were trying.

"Alright," said Haruka as she pushed the three girls to the floor. "I think that's good for now."

"Good, I'm tired," said Ami as she laid on the ground.

"Sleep," said Rei.

"Why are you so rough?" asked Michiru.

"I have to make sure you guys are ready for anything. You never know when a war may start," said Haruka with a sweat drop. **'I highly doubt I have the power to stop a war.'**

"Did we pass the test?" asked Ami.

"Yes. Though you guys suck at fighting together, I think you guys will make a great team!" said Haruka with a smile.

"Yeah!" yelled Michiru and Ami. Rei threw a hand up and smiled.

"Now, why don't we get something to eat and you can all go home!" said Haruka. The three girls got up.

"Food!" said Rei in happiness, causing the others to laugh.

"Well, let's go. And just so you know, I'll be home later, Michiru."

"Okay. I'll let Sasuke know when he gets home."

The three then went out to eat, talking about what future mission would be and what they would work on to better their teamwork.

_**~That Night~**_

"So how did they do?" asked Haruka to Kakashi as they met near the school.

"They passed," was all he said.

"Good," said Haruka with a fond smile. **'At least somethings look like they will stay on track.'**

"I'll watch out for him, all of them," said Kakashi to her.

"Thank you," said Haruka with a grateful smile.

"If anything happens, I have your back," he told her with a smile, or at least from what she could tell from his covered face.

"That's good to know," sighed Haruka. **'He must have been thinking about everything since last night. It's good to know I can count on him.'**

"Well then, I'm off."

"Yeah, see you later!" said Haruka as the two went in different directions to their homes.

'**I wonder how it's going to go on the mission to Wave. I guess I'll just have to wait and see,' **thought Haruka as she jumped from roof to roof to get to her home. **'Well, plot, let's see how this shit goes!'**


	13. A Dangerous Mission!

Episode(s): 6(mentioned)

"Alright, brats, lets head back to the mission headquarters," said Haruka as the team finished picking out the weeds in the garden. **'I wish I didn't have to do these missions again.'**

"Thank Kami," said Rei as she looked at the sky.

"Kay," said Ami with a smile.

"Do you think we can stop somewhere for a snack?" question Michiru.

The four then walked to mission headquarters.

_**~At Mission Headquarters~**_

"Hello! We are reporting in," said Haruka as the group walked into the room.

"Ah! Yes, Haruka, good to see you and your team," said the Hokage.

"You missed Kakashi and his team went on another mission this morning," said Iruka.

"Oh?" questioned Haruka. **'Could it be what I think it is?'**

"Yeah. He went on a C-ranked mission. It was just an escort mission, so you don't have to really worry about it," said Iruka with a smile. Haruka smiled back but didn't look convinced.

'**Shit will be hitting the fan soon,'** thought Haruka as she looked at the Hokage.

"Lucky," said the three girls together, causing the adults to chuckle.

"Now then, let's see what other mission we can give your team, Haruka," said the Hokage as he opened a scroll and started to look threw it.

While the Hokage looked for a mission, the others remained quite and thought to themselves.

'**I wonder if anything will change with Team Seven's mission. Sasuke is better trained now and they have Usagi on the team instead of Sakura, so that should help, but at the same time it could change things for the worse than it will the better. I guess I must wait and see. I mean, I can't expect to change everything. People will still die, no matter what I do. I can try to prevent deaths, but it's impossible to prevent them all. I can only try,'** thought Haruka to herself as the Hokage shuffled through some papers.

"Ah, yes, how about this mission. It involves-" started the Hokage, only to be cut off by a white dog running into the room. It had a leaf headband around its neck and a scroll in its mouth. It ran to the Hokage and placed the scroll in front of the Hokage, who then picked it up and started to read through it.

'**Is that one of Kakashi's? I don't remember him sending them during his mission, maybe this is a change or something that was never shown, or that I forgot,'** thought Haruka as she looked at the dog.

"How troubling," said the Hokage as he put the scroll down. He then turned to Iruka. "How many high-level ninjas do we currently have in the village?"

"Hmm," mumbled Iruka as he went through some papers. "It looks like most of them are out on missions or currently with teams."

"I see," said the Hokage as he smoked from his pipe. He then looked at Team 9.

"What's wrong?" asked Haruka as she raised and eyebrow. **'I already know but they can't know that.'**

"It seems that Kakashi's team has run into trouble and have moved the mission up to B-rank with a possible A-rank."

"WHAT!?" yelled everyone in shock but Haruka.

"That's not good. Kakashi has a team of Genin. He needs back up," said Haruka as she put her right hand to her chin to think. He left hand holding her right elbow.

"Agreed, and it would seem though many of our Jonin are currently busy or with teams," said the Hokage as he rested his chin on his folded hands.

"Ambu?"

"All out on mission, the ones that aren't are currently part of my guard."

"They need back up quickly, but it sounds like they won't get it till it's too late."

"Would you be wiling to go? You and your team?" he asked her, causing everyone to look on in shock.

"But sir! She also has a team on Genin!" called out Iruka in shock.

"Yes, but so does Kakashi. I have faith in the two of them to be able to protect their students as well as look out for each other."

'**I have a feeling that even if I were to say no, he would just order it. I also have to check on Sasuke. Who knows what changes have taken place,'** thought Haruka.

"Okay," said Haruka, shocking everyone and causing the Hokage to smile.

"Sensei?" asked Rei in shock.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures. You three need to get ready. Go home and get everything you will need. I don't know how long we will be gone, so prepare for at least a month. I expect you at the gate in an hour," said Haruka as she turned to her girls. The three looked at each other and nodded.

"Yes Sensei," the three then ran out of the room to get home and get their things.

"We will be gone in an hour," declared Haruka as she walked up toward the dog a nodded. It nodded and jumped off the table. He followed her as she walked out of the room.

_**~An Hour Later, At the Gates~**_

"Alright, ladies! You ready?" asked Haruka as the four, plus Kakashi's dog, stood at the gates.

"Yes!" said the three girls with determination.

"Good. I won't lie to you three. This is going to be hard. There is a chance that some of us may not come back alive. This may seem harsh, but this is the life of a ninja. You girls need to be alert and focused. There is no telling the danger we might encounter. Let's go!"

"Right!" replied the other three as they followed their Sensei, who was following Kakashi's dog.

The four jumped from tree to tree, following the dog as it traced back to were it had come from.

"Sense, how long will it take us to get there?" asked Rei.

"Should be a less than a day. More then likely, after Kakashi sent his dog, the group stopped and made camp. They need to wait for back up," replied Haruka as she scanned the area. "You girls need to make sure you stay on alert. You also need to know that there is a high chance you might need to kill someone. As a ninja, it is something that can't be helped. Your enemy won't care that you are a child. As long as you wear that headband, you are their enemy."

"Understood!"

'**So many things can go wrong at this point. So many things have already changed. I need to think everything through before I do anything. I need to make sure that I am prepared for everything and anything. Though I want to be able to save Haku and Zabuza, there is no guarantee that I will be able to. My students as well as Team Seven have to come first,'** though Haruka in determination as she and her team continued on.

"Let's hurry!" called out Haruka to her team.

"Right!" they said as the dog barked and went faster. The team sped up to keep pace.

"We're on our way. Just hold on."


	14. Assassin of the Mist!

Episode(s): 7

"Alright everyone, are you ready?" asked Kakashi as they packed all their things.

"Yes, Sensei," said his students.

"What about your back up?" asked Tazuna.

"They're almost here," replied Kakashi.

"Really?" asked an excited Naruto.

"Really," replied a female voice.

Everyone watched in shock as Haruka and her team appeared in front of them.

"Haruka," nodded Kakashi as he looked at his dog who then disappeared in smoke.

"I'm sorry for the delay. When your dog appeared with the scroll, the Hokage had no one to send but us. I know it seems weird to send a Genin team as back up, but I'm sure my girls can handle it," said Haruka with a smile.

"At least a pretty lady is here now," said Tazuna. Sasuke and Michiru glared at the man.

"Let's get going, I will fill you in on what happened so far. We have a boat to catch," said Kakashi as he began to lead the way.

"Right," said Haruka as she followed him. Everyone else started to follow as well.

_**~On the Boat~**_

The group managed to make it to the boat and were barely able to all sit in it. Naruto sat in front with Rei and Ami on either side of him. Next to Rei sat Michiru. Next to Ami was Usagi and Sasuke next to her. Haruka sat next to Kakashi and she made Kakashi sit next to her. Tazuna sat across from Kakashi and the fisherman steered the bat.

"The fog is so thick," whispered Usagi.

The others sat in silence. After a few moments, the fisherman spoke.

"The bridge isn't far now," he said as he rowed. "Our destination is up ahead – The Land of Waves."

"Hmm?" grunted Naruto as they noticed the bridged. The children looked on in awe at construction taking place.

"Whoa!" yelled Naruto, shocking the others. "It's huge!"

'**Why has no one taught this boy to use inside voice. I mean I know we're outside, but still,' **thought Haruka with a sweat drop.

"Quiet! I told you no noise! Why do you think we're traveling like this, huh?" said the fisherman in annoyance. "Cutting off the engine and rowing. Moving through the dense fog so they don't see us."

"He's right, Naruto, please don't yell out again," said Haruka with a smile toward the boy.

"R-right," whispered Naruto.

"Mr. Tazuna, before we reach the pier, I want to ask you something," said Kakashi in a serious voice. The group could hear the anger in his voice. "The group that are after you, we need to know why. If you don't tell us, I'm afraid I'll have to end this mission when we drop you ashore."

The children turned to look at their Senseis in shock.

"Kakashi has seniority. If he decides to end the mission, we have no choice but to end it. Unless he is unable to, such as if he is killed or incapacitated, then I will make the decision. I would also like to point out that my team was sent to help, making Kakashi leader even if I had seniority. It's his mission," said Haruka to the Genin before they could ask any questions. **'Kakashi has to make the call, and I honestly don't know if my team being here will change it.'**

"I have no choice but to tell you. No, I want you to know the truth," said Tazuna as he looked at the ninja. "Like you said, this is beyond the scope of the original mission. The one who seeks my life is a very short man who cast a very long and deadly shadow."

"A deadly shadow?" asked Kakashi.

'**If I didn't know any better, I would say that sounded like a Nara to me,'** thought Haruka as she looked at Tazuna.

"Who is it?" asked Haruka.

"You know him. At least, I'm sure you've heard his name before," said Tazuna. "He's one of the wealthiest men in the world – the shipping magnet, Gato."

"Huh? Gato? Of Gato Transport?" asked Kakashi in shock, at least that's what everyone was able to tell from his eye. "He's a business leader. Everyone knows him.

"Who? Who? What? What?" asked Naruto in confusion.

'**Why did he repeat it twice?'** thought Haruka with a sweat drop.

"Gato is a very powerful tycoon from a famous company, that's true," said Tazuna. "But below the surface, with the same ruthless methods he uses to take over businesses and nations, he sells drugs and contraband using gangs and ninja.

"It was one year ago when Gato first set his sight on The Land of Waves. He came to our island and used his vast wealth to take total control of our transport and shipping. Anyone who tried to stand in his way simply disappeared.

"In an island nation, a man who controls the sea controls everything – finance, government, our very lives. But there's one thing he fears, the bridge. When it is complete, it will join us to the land, and that will break his control. I am the bridge builder."

"So, in other words, he wants you gone so that he can stay in control," said Usagi as she put her right hand to her chin in thought.

"That means, those guys we fought in the forest, they were working for Gato," said Sasuke as he looked at Naruto, making sure his teammate understood what was going on.

"It also means that anyone else who comes after him will also be hired by Gato," said Rei as her teammates nodded.

"I don't understand. If you knew he was dangerous, knew he'd send ninja to eliminate you, why did you hide that from us?" asked Kakashi.

"Because they can't pay for a higher ranked mission, am I right?" asked Haruka. Tazuna nodded.

"The Land of Waves is a small, impoverished nation. Even our nobbles have little money. The common people who are building this bridge, they can't pay for an A or B ranked mission. It's too expensive. If you end the mission when you drop me ashore, there will be no bridge. They will assassinate me before I reach home," said Tazuna. He then looked at the children and used a lighthearted voice. "But don't feel bad about that. Of course, my sweet little grandson will be upset. He'll cry 'Granddad! I want my Granddad!'"

'**My ass the little brat will cry,'** thought Haruka in annoyance.

"Oh, and my daughter will condemn The Ninja of the Hidden Leaves, denouncing and blaming you for abandoning her father and living her life in sorrow," continued Tazuna. "Oh, well. It's not your fault, forget it."

The children all looked around, feeling bad about the situation while Kakashi and Haruka looked at each other. Kakashi sighed and used his right hand the scratch at his head.

"Well, I guess we have no other choice. We'll have to keep guarding you," said Kakashi as he turned to Tazuna.

"Of course, since now the mission is more expensive, you would have to make a trading deal with the Village Hidden in the Leaves. I'm sure that won't be too bad, will it?" asked Haruka with a smile on her face, though every noticed that a very scary aroura surrounded her. **'This will help both villages in the end. I'm also not letting this old man guilt me into anything without getting something in return.'**

"R-right," said Tazuna in fear.

"We're approaching the shore," said the fisherman. "Tazuna, we've been very fortunate. No one has noticed us so far."

"Nice going," said Tazuna, regaining his composure.

The boat went into a tunnel. It was dark, but as they got closer to the other side, they were blinded by light. Once out of the tunnel, the fog was gone, and the sun shone brightly. They saw trees growing out from the water and house on the shore.

Once docked, the group got out. The children got out first, followed by their Senseis. Once Tazuna got out, the fisherman spoke to him.

"That's as far as I go. Good luck," said the man.

"Right. Thank you for taking such a risk," said Tazuna.

"Just be careful," said the man as he started the engine and left. Tazuna then turned to the ninja.

"Okay. Take me to my home, and I mean get me there in one piece."

"Right," said Kakashi as they started to walk away. Kakashi and Haruka nodded to each other in a silent agreement.

'**The next person they send will be Zabuza. I don't know for sure how the fight will go now, but I have to make sure that no one gets killed,' **thought Haruka as she looked forward. She then frowned. **'What the fuck is Naruto doing?'**

The group watched as Naruto ran forward and started to look around like crazy. He then threw a Kunai in a random direction. The group then walked over to see Naruto had almost hit a rabbit. He picked it up and started to cry.

Kakashi looked at Haruka who nodded. The rabbit didn't belong there. They looked around as the others focused on the rabbit.

"Look out!" yelled Kakashi. The group turned to see a huge sword flying toward them. Everyone threw themselves to the ground. The sword imbedded into the tree. A man was then standing on top of it.

'**How the fuck does he carry that thing!'** thought Haruka in surprise.

"Well, well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi – rouge ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist," said Kakashi as he walked toward the man.

"Naruto, stop," said Haruka as she appeared in front of Naruto, shocking everyone.

"You're in the way," finished Kakashi. "Get back,"

"But why?" yelled Naruto.

"He isn't like those other ninjas. He'd kill you easily," said Haruka.

"If he's our opponent, I'll need this," said Kakashi as he lifted his left hand to his headband to pull it up.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye and Haruka Uchiha, the Lady of Fire – did I get that right?" asked Zabuza, causing Michiru and Sasuke to look at Kakashi in shock. "It's too bad, huh? But you'll have to hand over the old man."

"Now quick! My team, Manji formation! Protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight!" said Kakashi.

"My team! Assist in Maji formation! Now!" called out Haruka. 'They need to stay close to protect each other.'

"Right!" yelled out Team Nine as they got into formation, covering the old man's back.

"Are you ready?" asked Kakashi to Haruka as he revealed his Sharingan eye.

"Yes," she replied as she activated her Sharingan.

"Well, it looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action as well as fight an actual Uchiha. This is an honor," said Zabuza as he turned to look at the group.

"Everyone keeps saying Sharingan, Sharingan. Will someone please tell me what Sharingan is!?" asked Naruto in annoyance.

"Sharingan, a rare power that resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu, or doujutsu, can instantly see and comprehend any genjustsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu, and reflect that attack back on the attacker," said Michiru as she looked at Kakashi in shock.

"The Sharingan is a special, rare form of doujutsu. However, there's more to the Sharingan than that. A lot more," continued Sasuke as he looked down at the ground.

"You got it right, boy, but you only scratched the surface. The Sharingan can analyze an opponent's technique, and then copy it to the smallest detail," said Zabuza as mist started to surround the area. "As for you two Jonin, in the assassination unit of the Hidden Mist, we had a standing order to destroy you on sight, though, that order mostly applied to you, Kakashi. For the Uchiha, well, many would like to have her, how much do you think she would sell for? If she can reproduce, she'll go for a lot."

'**It's official, I want him dead,**' thought Haruka in anger as Kakashi lightly pushed her behind him.

"Haruka, I'll attack first. Intervene if needed," said Kakashi, causing Haruka to look at him.

"Alright," she said as she moved somewhat back toward the children and bridge builder.

"Enough talking, I need to exterminate the old man, now," said Zabuza as he crouched down on the swords handle. This caused Team Seven to get into formation in front of the old man. "So, I'll have to eliminate you first Kakashi, then Haruka, eh? So be it."

Zabuza quickly grabbed his sword and disappeared, though Kakashi and Haruka followed his movements as he appeared to be standing on the water of the lake.

"He's over there!" called out Naruto.

The group watched in shock as he disappeared.

'**Hidden Mist Jutsu,'** thought Haruka to herself as she spread her senses to look for him.

"He vanished," said Naruto in shock.

"He'll come after me first," said Kakashi, "then Haruka?"

"Who is he?" asked Michiru.

"Zabuza Momochi – the ex-leader of the Hidden Mist Assassination unit. He's a master of the silent killing technique," said Haruka.

"S-s-s-s-silent?' asked Naruto in fear.

"As the name suggests, it happens in an instant – without sound or warning of any kind. It's so fast you pass from this life without realizing what has happened. The Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so don't lower you guard," said Kakashi to the students.

"Well, if we fuck up, we only die," said Haruka in a happy voice. **'If I die, I die. Though I ain't going down without a fight!'**

"The mist is getting thicker and thicker," said Naruto in shock.

"The Land of Waves is surrounded by ocean. The swirling mist are ever present," said Tazuna.

The group watched in silence as the mist kept getting thicker, eventually hiding the Jonin from their sight.

"Sensei," called out Usagi and Ami.

"Eight points!" said Zabuza from the mist, freaking out the others.

"Where is he?" asked Michiru as she looked around.

"Larnyx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Now, which will be my kill point?" asked Zabuza.

"None," said Haruka as she built up her chakra and released it, pushing the mist away. She also released much of her killing intent. Her students, as well as Sasuke, were used to it, but it still put them on edge.

"It's over," said Zabuza as he appeared in-between the Genin and Tazuna. Kakashi and Haruka quickly turned and jumped into action. Kakashi blocked the attack while Haruka moved Tazuna away from danger. Everyone looked on in shock as Kakashi had a kunai in Zabuza's stomach, but instead of blood, it was water that came out.

"Sensei, behind you," called out Naruto as the first Zabuza turned into water.

"Die!" called out Zabuza as he cut Kakashi in half, only to realize that he had also used a water clone.

"Don't move," said Kakashi as he appeared behind Zabuza with a kunai that he held to his neck. "Now it's over."

'**No, this is just the beginning,'** thought Haruka as she got ready to fight.


	15. Haruka and Kakashi VS Zabuza

Episode(s): 8 – 9

All was quite as everyone watched Kakashi and Zabuza. The students looked on in shock with Tazuna while Haruka looked ready for battle.

"You're finished," declared Kakashi as he held his kunai to Zabuza's neck.

"Huh? Alright!" called out Naruto in happiness. Ami and Usagi smiled while Rei, Michiru, and Sasuke looked unsure. Then Zabuza started chuckling.

"Huh?" said Kakashi in confusion.

"Finished? You really don't get it, do you? Your technique is nothing but a crass imitation, I'll never be defeated by a mere copycat ninja like you," said Zabuza arrogantly. Kakashi grunted. "You are full of surprises, though. You'd already copied my water clone jutsu when you made your little speech. I wouldn't be surprised if Haruka copied already too. Very skillfully executed."

'**He's not wrong,'** thought Haruka as she looked on.

"You made your clone say those words to draw my attention while you hid in the mist waiting for me to make my move. Nice try, but I'm not that easy to fool," said Zabuza as he appeared behind Kakashi, showing that the Zabuza that Kakashi had in front of him was a water clone.

"Hey! That one's a clone too!" yelled out Naruto.

Zabuza swung his sword at Kakashi, only for Kakashi to duck and it hit the ground. Zabuza then quickly switched hands and turned to kick Kakashi, sending him flying into the lake.

"Now," said Zabuza as he grabbed his sword and ran toward Kakashi, only to stop short. "Huh? Spikes? Trying to slow me down, humph. Foolish."

Zabuza then jumped into the water.

'**Damnit,'** thought Haruka as she began to run to the lake. **'I need to get Kakashi out of there!'**

"Sensei!" yelled Naruto in shock.

"His physical strength is great," said Sasuke in shock.

"Haruka-nee?" questioned Michiru as she saw Haruka run toward the lake.

Kakashi had just surfaced from the water when Zabuza appeared behind him.

"Fool! Water prison-" started Zabuza, only to be cut off by Haruka.

"Don't forget about me!" yelled Haruka as she appeared in front of him and swiped at him with a kunai, causing him to jump back. She had managed to cut him across the chest.

"Kakashi, let's move," said Haruka as she got ready to attack. "Great Fire Ball jutsu!"

A large amount of fire appeared, shocking everyone. Haruka and Kakashi then used that moment of shock to move back toward the Genin and Tazuna. When the fire cleared, everyone saw that Zabuza had a burn marks on his body but was still okay.

"Damn, was hoping I either burned him more or killed him," said Haruka, shocking the others besides Kakashi and Zabuza. **'At least I managed to hurt him and get Kakashi away from him.'**

"Kill?' said Naruto in shock, causing Zabuza to chuckle.

"You think wearing a headband makes you a ninja. When you've hoovered between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you, then you may be called a ninja. When you've become so deadly, your profile is entered in my bingo book, then you may have earned the title ninja. But to call upstarts like you, ninja, is a joke," said Zabuza as he began to make mist appear, causing him to disappear. "You all seemed so shock that one of your Sensei's would try and actually kill me. What childishness."

"What!" screamed out Naruto in shock as Haruka appeared in front of him, deflecting an attack from Zabuza. Kakashi then appeared behind Naruto and grabbed him. He threw him toward the others.

"Get back into formation!" yelled Kakashi, shocking the students into movement.

"My, my, is the little Uchiha girl fighting now?" asked Zabuza as he leaned closer to Haruka as she used a kunai to push against his sword.

"This little Uchiha girl is about to fuck you up," said Haruka in anger as she used her chakra to give her extra strength. She pushed hard against Zabuza, shocking him as he was pushed back.

"Move!" yelled Kakashi as she grabbed the bridge builder and jumped to a tree, the Genin fallowing him. They then all watched in shock as Haruka punched the ground, causing the ground to break.

"Wow!" called out Naruto as they all had to move as several tress fell over.

"What you see is a chakra infused strength. It is something that Haruka is well known for," said Kakashi as the landed some feet away from the destruction.

"I have to say, I wasn't expecting that," said Zabuza as he appeared in front of them. Haruka jumped back to the others.

"If Haruka and I can't handle him, then you all need to take Tazuna and run," said Kakashi as he went to stand next to Haruka.

'**Even with us together, there is still a chance that things will go bad. I may of changed a few things, but I can't change everything,'** thought Haruka as she glared at Zabuza. **'I don't want to have to use my Mongekyo yet.'**

"You are fighting so hard to protect those brats, they aren't even worth it," said Zabuza with a chuckle.

"They're young, it's true, but they have potential," replied Kakashi

"You want to let them play ninja? When I was their age, my hands had already crushed many opponents," said Zabuza as the Genin looked on in shock.

"Zabuza, the demon," was all Haruka said as she glared. **'This is such a shit situation. I better get payed goo for this.'**

"Oh? So, I was in your book, too, huh?"

"Long ago, in the Village Hidden in the Mist – also known as Blood Mist Village – before a student could become a ninja, there was one final test," started Kakashi, causing Zabuza to look at him in surprise.

"You know about the graduation exam?"

"What graduation exam?" asked Naruto, causing Zabuza to chuckle. "What's the big deal, anyway. We had graduation test, too."

"Did you have to kill the other students to pass?" asked Zabuza, shocking the Genin.

"Kill the other students?" asked Usagi in shock.

"Imagine young ninja like you – eating together, training together – and then comes the final exam. Only they changed the rules – kill or be killed. You can't stop while your opponent still breaths. He was your friend – shared your dreams. Now, it's him or you."

"That's so cruel," said Ami in shock and fear.

"How could they allow that?' question Rei in shock.

"Ten years ago, in the Village Hidden in the Mist the graduation exam changed. One year before, a dark evil had filled the school with terror," said Haruka. **'I can only imagine what it would have been like for families that had twins.'**

"What happened?" asked Michiru as she moved closer to Sasuke who stood in front of her.

"Without pause of hesitation, a young boy who was not even a ninja approached the class and took down over 100 other students."

"It – it felt so – good!" said Zabuza, scaring the Genin. He then attacked Sasuke but was blocked by Kakashi. Sasuke and the others moved toward Haruka.

"If you guys can't handle this, then after this mission, quit being ninja. This happens every day. There are always people like him," said Haruka as they watched Kakashi fight off Zabuza. **'Some of them in our own village.'**

"No! I refuse! I will become Hokage! I will defeat anyone who gets in my way. I will prove myself to the village!" yelled Naruto as he summoned his shadow clones. "Let's go!"

"What?" said Zabuza as Kakashi moved away from him and Naruto's clones attacked him. They dogged pilled Zabuza, all had kunai out and were trying to stab him. After a few seconds, Zabuza pushed them all off. "You can't touch me with that!"

"Then fight me!" said Haruka as she appeared in front of Zabuza and punched him in the chest with a chakra infused fist. Though she landed a direct hit, he managed jump back enough that when the hit landed, it didn't cause as much damage as it could of. Zabuza landed in the water.

"Hmph," grunted Zabuza as he stood up on the water. He winced as he moved. Kakashi then landed across from him.

"Haruka, stay as back up," said Kakashi as he and Zabuza stared each other down. The two then started to preform hand signs.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" called out the two as dragons formed from the water and attacked each other. The extra water flew toward the group, soaking them. When they managed to see through the water, they saw Kakashi and Zabuza fighting. Zabuza's sword against Kakashi's kunai.

'**It looks like, even though I've changed somethings, Kakashi will still be exhausted by the end of this,'** thought Haruka in annoyance. She then glanced behind her, though it wasn't noticeable to anyone. **'It looks like Haku is here.'**

After a few moment's Kakashi and Zabuza separated. The two then circled each other and did the same move, though Zabuza looked freaked out.

"He's not just following. He moves the same way at the same time," said Tazuna in surprise.

"How's he doing that?" asked Usagi as she looked at the three Uchiha clan members. They didn't answer.

"Going to do next?" asked Kakashi causing Zabuza's eyes to widen. The two then made another hand sign. "It makes you furious, doesn't it?"

"Ha! All your doing is copying me like a monkey," said Zabuza in annoyance.

"You can't beat me with cheap tricks. I'll crush you!" said the two men together. Zabuza looked freaked out.

"When I finish with you, you'll never open that monkey mouth again!" said Zabuza in anger as he performed some more hand signs, though he stopped short in shock, giving Kakashi an opening.

"Water Style: Giant Vortex jutsu!" said Kakashi, shocking Zabuza.

"What! Impossible!" yelled out Zabuza as the attack hit, sending him toward the land at a fat pace. Zabuza crashed into a tree.

"There!" said Haruka as she threw three kunai, each landing on him. One on each arm and one on his right leg.

"You're finished," said Kakashi from where he stood on the tree above the wounded man.

"How? Can you see into the future?" asked Zabuza as he looked up at Kakashi.

"Yes," said Kakashi as he raised a kunai. "This is your last battle ever."

Out of nowhere, two senbon flew at Zabuza, hitting him on the neck and taking him out. The group turned to see another ninja on a tree not too far away. They began to chuckle.

"You were right. It was his last battle," said the mysterious person. Kakashi jumped down from the tree to check to see if Zabuza was dead. Everyone else watched the mysterious person.

'**Haku,'** thought Haruka as she glared at the boy. Haku glanced at her.

"No vital signs," said Kakashi with a sigh as he then turned to the mysterious person.

"Thank you," he said. "I've been tracking Zabuza for a long time, waiting for this chance to finally take him down."

"By your mask, I see that you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist," said Kakashi with a glare.

"Impressive. You're well informed."

Kakashi and Haruka glanced at each other.

Naruto then ran up to the tree and glared at the tracker ninja. He glanced at Zabuza, and turned back to the tracker ninja, growling.

"What is this? Who do you think you are?" he yelled at him, shocking the others. "Did you hear me?"

"Easy, Naruto," said Kakashi as he started to walk up to Naruto. "He's not our enemy."

"Huh? That's not the point! Did you see what he did, just like that?" asked an angry Naruto. "Zabuza was huge and powerful like some kind of monster. And this kid, who's no bigger than me, he brought down Zabuza with one move like it was nothing. I mean, what does that make us? We're just fumbling around. We don't know anything. How can I accept that!?"

The other Genin looked at the ground, feeling much of what Naruto was saying.

"Well, even if you don't accept it, still it did happen, Naruto," said Kakashi as he stood next to his student. He then put his left hand on Naruto's head. "In this world, there are kids who are younger than you and yet stronger than me. Haruka is a good example of this. She may be older than you, but she is very powerful. I'm sure that if we went all out, she could defeat me. You may not of seen it today, but remember, she's never had to take care of Genin before."

Naruto pouted but then looked at Haruka in shock along with the other Genin.

'**I can't say for sure if that is true, but it's nice to have someone believe in you so much,'** thought Haruka with a smirk.

The tracker ninja then appeared next to Zabuza and picked him up.

"Your struggle is over for now. I must deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body. They must not be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please excuse me. Farwell," they then disappeared.

"Huh? He disappeared!" said Naruto in shock as Haruka began to walk over to them. Kakashi grunted and covered his left eye again. Naruto ran toward were Zabuza once was.

"He's gone, Naruto," said Kakashi. "Let it go."

"What are we doing here? We're nothing! I can't believe it!" said Naruto in anger as he began to punch the ground. Kakashi walked up to him and grabbed him left arm in his right hand. Haruka stopped next to him.

"As ninja, the things we encounter are never easy. Save your anger for the next enemy," said Haruka with a small smile as she patted Naruto on the head.

"We haven't completed our mission yet," said Kakashi as he turned toward the others. "We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge."

"Ha! Sorry I caused all this trouble for ya," laughed Tazuna. "But you can rest at my house when we get to the village."

"Alright! Let' get a move on," said Kakashi as Naruto stood up. Kakashi only managed a few steps, when he started to fall over. Luckily, before he could hit the ground, Haruka appeared in front of him and caught him on her back.

"What happened?" asked Usagi in shock as she and the others ran to the two Senseis.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" called out Naruto

"He's fine, just exhausted," said Haruka with a reassuring smile. "Let's get him to Tazuna's house so that he can rest properly."

"Right!" said the group. They then all turned and starting walking toward the path they were taking before they got attacked.

'**This is gonna be a pain in the ass, but I feel like it will turn out great,' **thought Haruka as they walked.


	16. The Forest of Chakra

Episode(s): 10

"Oh my!" said a woman when she answered the door. She had long black hair, black eyes, and she wore a pink shirt with red ends and a long blue skirt.

"Hello, Tsunami," said Tazuna as he walked in first. Haruka fallowed him with Kakashi while the students followed them.

"I believe we should put Kakashi someplace to rest," said Haruka with a sigh. **'I should probably get some rest too.'**

"Haruka-sensei, I think you need to rest too," said Rei in concern.

"Yes, come this way," said Tsunami as she led the way to a spare room. She quickly went to get a futon and laid it out for Kakashi. Haruka then set him down and helped take off his shoes and weapons.

"I'll get another one," said Tazuna as he left the room. He came back a few seconds later with another futon. He laid it next to Kakashi and Haruka sat on it.

"Let's all rest for the rest of the day. That's an order," said Haruka with a sigh, causing the others to laugh. **'We're gonna need all the rest we can get for when we fight Zabuza and Haku.'**

_**~The Next Day~**_

"How're you feeling?" asked Tsunami as she stood over Kakashi. Haruka was sitting next to him.

"I've been better. It'll be a week before I can move normally," said Kakashi as he struggled to sit up.

"See, it's better if you don't move, so just lie down," said Tsunami. Kakashi grunted.

"Right," he said as he lied back down. Haruka giggled.

A few seconds later, thee Genin, followed by Tazuna, came in.

"Look, the Sensei's are coming around," said Naruto.

"Next time be more careful Sensei," said Usagi as she kneeled next to Haruka.

"Well, they did take down one of the most powerful ninja assassins, so we'll be safe for a while," said Tazuna.

"What about that boy?" asked Michiru.

"Yeah, he wore a mask," said Ami, thoughtfully.

"He's from the elite tracking unit of the Village Hidden in the Mist. Those masks are only worn by the most elite shinobi," said Kakashi as he looked up toward the ceiling.

"What do they do?" asked Rei.

"The Anbu Black Ops, also known as The Inferno Squad, destroy all traces of a rouge ninja's corpse. The Shinobi's body contains many secrets – ninjutsu, chakra, special medicine used on his body. These are the secrets of his village. If his enemies find them, his people will be in grave danger.

"For instance, if I were to die at the hands of an enemy, he would try to analyze my Sharingan. In the worst case, my entire jutsu could be stolen and used against our home village. It is the sacred duty of the Shinobi trackers to prevent this, to keep the village secrets safe. If a ninja betrays his village, the trackers hunt him down, eliminate him, and obliterate every trace of his existence. That's their specialty."

Kakashi then stopped and seemed to be in deep thought.

"Hey, are you okay? Sensei!" called out Naruto, trying to get his attention.

"Hm? Oh, yes, to finish what I was saying," began Kakashi, getting back on track, "tracker ninja deal with the body immediately, on the spot, so there's no room for error."

"But he didn't do that to Zabuza," said Usagi.

"That's because Zabuza isn't dead," said Haruka, causing everyone to look at her in shock.

"What!" called out Naruto in surprise.

"That 'Hunter Nin' is more than likely just wearing the mask to fool people. The weapons he used and the place he used them can lead to a death like state."

"Haruka-sensei, if you know that, why did you let him get away?" asked Ami.

"In all honesty, it was because of all of you," said Haruka bluntly, shocking the children. **'Sorry kids, but you need to see that everyone is limited.'**

"Because of us?" asked Usagi in shock.

"You know I was at my limit," stated Kakashi as he looked at his fellow Jonin.

"Yes. With you unable to battle and the Genin unable to face death, there was nothing I could really do but let him go."

"It's because of how we reacted to what Zabuza told us," said Rei as she looked down, the others followed in embarrassment.

"Like Kakashi had said earlier, I'm not used to having a Genin team. In fact, I'm not used to really working with anyone who isn't my Sensei or teammate. Yes, I may train some of you, but I've never gone all out with you guys. I'm still getting used to it."

"Come on, you're over-thinking this, aren't you?" asked Tazuna with hope.

"Encountering suspicion, the ninja prepares quickly. Hesitation leads to disaster. Every Shinobi knows tis saying," said Kakashi as he looked at everyone faces.

"Sensei, you said 'prepare quickly,' but how can we do that when you can barely move? Haruka-sensei can't teach us all. She has her own team to worry about," said Usagi as she looked at her Sensei. Kakashi laughed.

"I can still train you."

"And I can help," said Haruka with a chuckle. "Though this may seem like last minute training in a very serious situation, but even something small can help you a lot in the long run. Sometimes it's the basics that save you, not the crazy moves you know."

'**I would know. Being able to fucking duck saved me from getting my head chopped off by a lot of enemies,'** thought Haruka with a sweat drop.

"You've all grown, but you've grown the most, Naruto," said Kakashi with a closed eye smile. Naruto smiled in return.

"So, you noticed, Kakashi-sensei. Now things are going to get better. Believe it!" said Naruto with a smirk.

"I don't believe it! And nothing's going to be good!" said a voice. Everyone turned around to see a boy at the entrance.

"Who are you?" asked an annoyed Naruto.

'**Great. Annoying brat alert,'** thought Haruka in annoyance.

"Inari, where have you been?" asked a concerned Tazuna.

"Welcome back, Grandpa!" said Inari as he ran to Tazuna and hugged him.

"Inari, that was very rude," said Tsunami, scolding her son. "These ninjas helped your grandpa and brought him here safely."

"It's okay. It's okay. I'm rude to them too," said Tazuna with a laugh.

'**Dick,'** thought Haruka.

"Mom, don't you see, these people are going to die. Gato and his men will come back and find them and wipe them out.

"What did you say, brat!" yelled an angry Naruto. He then pointed at Inari as he ranted. The others just watched.

"There's no such thing as a hero. You're just full of stupid ideas!" yelled Inari.

"What you say!?" yelled Naruto as he went to attack, only for Usagi and Michiru to grab him and stop him.

"If you want to stay alive, you should go back where you came from," said Inari as he put back on his shoes.

"Inari, wait, where are you going?" asked Tazuna.

"To look out at the ocean. I want to be alone."

"Sorry about that," said Tazuna to the group of ninjas.

_**~The Next Day~**_

"Alright," said Kakashi as the group of ninjas stood in an open area in the forest.

"Right!" said an excited Naruto.

"First, we will begin with a review of chakra, the ninja's basic source of power. Understanding chakra is essential."

"We know that," said Sasuke. Naruto was about to say something but was cut off by Haruka.

"Even so, it doesn't hurt to review," said Haruka with a smile. **'That and I know that Naruto doesn't remember.'**

"Chakra is the elemental life energy a ninja uses in jutsu. It's the source of all their power. Now, this energy has two forms, physical energy which exist in all the cells in the entire body, all working together and spiritual energy, the primal source of power which is intensified through training and experience," said Rei as Haruka made her explain.

'**I'm so happy I don't have to do it,'** thought Haruka with a smirk.

"These two must be drawn out and brought together in order to perform jutsu. Notice the interplay between physical and spiritual power. That's the key. Finally, hand signs focus and unleash the chakra."

"Right on all points. Iruka-sensei really did have some excellent students," praised Kakashi. Rei blushed.

"What's the point of all this explanation! We already using it in our jutsu!" said Naruto, annoyed.

"Naruto is right, for once, we use it in our jutsus," said Sasuke.

"No. You have not mastered this power. You've barely scratched the surface of it," said Kakashi in annoyance.

"What do you mean!?" screamed Naruto.

"Calm down, Naruto. You need to listen," said Haruka as she looked at the Genin. "To make it simple, if you master your chakra control, you can perform amazing jutsus. Even Hokage level ones."

"Really!" said Naruto in excitement.

"Yup!" said Haruka with a smile. **'Got him.'**

"Each jutsu requires different types of chakra in different proportions. You must select and combine them in exactly the right way. Up to now, you've just guessed at the proportions, hoping they come out right," explained Kakashi. "Even if you produce a lot of chakra, unless you can balance and control it, it's all worthless. The jutsu won't work at all or it'll just be a joke."

"You waste a lot of energy that way," said Haruka, taking over. "Next thing you know, you're out of chakra and you can't fight at all. You become nothing more than a target and a liability to your team."

"How do we change that?" asked a curious Naruto.

"Train so hard that controlling your chakra become second nature. To achieve this goal, you must be ready to put your life on the line," said Kakashi.

"What do we have to do?" asked Ami.

"Climb a tree," said Kakashi with a chuckle.

"Climb a tree?" said al three Genin in shock.

"That's right!" said Haruka with a laugh. "But you can't use your hands!"

"You're kidding," said Ami in shock.

"Are we? Let's see," said Kakashi as he made a hand sigh and started to walk toward the tree. The Genin watched in shock as he climbed the tree.

'**What makes this better is that he's doing it with the fucking crutches,' **thought Haruka with a chuckle.

"He's climbing," said Naruto in shock.

"Straight up," said Usagi.

And he's only using his feet!" said Ami in amazement.

"Well, you get the idea," said Kakashi as he stood on a tree branch, but he was upside down.

"Focus the chakra toward the soles of our feet and use it to connect to the tree. This is one way to apply the power of chakra," said Haruka with a smile as she walked toward the tree Kakashi was in. She made it to where he was quickly but stayed on the right side.

"And this will help us fight Zabuza?" asked Michiru in determination.

"It's the only way to beat him," said Kakashi, seriously. "First, you'll learn to draw a precise amount of chakra to a precise point in your body. This is difficult, even for advanced ninja. This type of climbing requires a subtle mix of physical and spiritual energy. And the bottoms of the feet are the most difficult points to focus chakra.

"Are you getting the picture? If you can master this, you'll be able to master any jutsu. Well, theoretically. The second point is to learn to maintain your chakra levels."

"When a ninja is focused in battle, it's even harder to control and maintain his chakra levels, a deadly mistake. To maintain this, controlling chakra must become second nature, effortless," said Haruka as she pulled out six kunai and threw them at the Genin, one landing in front of each of them. "Use the kunai to mark the tree at the highest point you can climb without using your hands. Then, try to get past that mark the next time and the next."

"At first, you'll need to run at the tree so your momentum can take you as highest as possible until you get used to it. Ready?"

"I'm more than ready! This is going to be no sweat all the way! Believe it!" declared Naruto as he picked up a kunai. The others followed him in picking up the kunai.

The six Genin all got quite as they concentrated their chakra to their feet. Kakashi and Haruka watched as they stood silent for a few minutes. Then, they all rushed toward different trees to run up.

Naruto hadn't done it right, so he fell right away, Sasuke managed to get up a few feet before he had to jump off. Michiru and Ami made it halfway when they finally had to jump off. Rei and Usagi managed to make it to the top.

"That's about what I expect from Sasuke and Naruto," sighed Kakashi, causing Haruka to laugh.

"It looks like my girls are better than your boys," laughed Haruka, Kakashi chuckled.

"Well, looks like the female member of my squad has the most advanced chakra control. Well done, Usagi," praised Kakashi. "Well, not only do Usagi and Rei understand chakra, they can control and maintain it as well. Michiru and Ami aren't far behind. We talked about someone becoming Hokage one day, didn't we? It seems those two have the best chance of that, wouldn't you say? And as for the great Uchiha clan, it seems the only great ones are the female members."

"Alright! First, I'll match Sasuke, then I'm going all the way to the top! Believe it!" yelled out Naruto as he, Sasuke, Michiru, and Ami got ready to run again.

After an hour, the Genin were exhausted. Michiru and Ami managed to make it to the top while Sasuke and Naruto were still struggling. Kakashi and Haruka watched them practice. After some time, Naruto got u, after falling from the tree again, and walked to Usagi. The others watched, unable to hear what he was saying to her.

Kakashi and Haruka looked at each other and smiled.


	17. Real Heros

Episode(s): 11

_**~Somewhere in the Forest~**_

"Alright! Since the two of you managed to complete the tree walking exercise but took the whole day to do it, I've decided to give you two extra training today!" said Haruka with a grin. **'I'm hoping we can start with Ami's ice abilities. If she is related to Haku, then that should give us an advantage. I also need to train Michiru a little more with her speed.'**

"Right!" said the two girls.

"Good, Michiru, we are going to be working on your speed. You're too slow. Ami! Is there anything specific you would like to work on?" asked Haruka.

"Yes. Um," began Ami, shyly. "I come from the Yuki clan and have managed to use some of the clan's abilities. I would like to test my ice against your fire, if that's okay."

"Actually, I have a better idea! Why don't you two fight. Ami, you're only allowed to use your ice while Michiru must dodge. I will randomly attack you both with fire! How does that sound?" asked Haruka as she looked at the two girls. **'Yes! I'm so happy to be right!'**

"Alright! Let's get ready!" said Haruka as she jumped up into one of the trees. Ami and Michiru jumped away from each other and got ready. "Start!"

"Here I go! Secret Art: 100 Needles of death!" said Ami as she attacked Michiru. Said girl quickly moved to get out of the way but was scraped by a few.

"Faster!" said Haruka. She then let out a fire ball toward the two. Michiru managed to dodge the attack successfully while Ami put up a wall of ice. Both girls noticed that their sensei was holding back.

Ami quickly turned to her teammate at pushed forth a moving wall of ice. Michiru, not expecting it, got hit and was pushed back into a tree.

"Michiru!" said Ami in shock. She was about to go to her teammate when a ball of fire was thrown her way. She managed to block it with a wall of ice, but the ice quickly melted, and she was thrown back.

"Michiru, always expect the unexpected. By letting your guard down, you give you opponents the opening. And Ami, you must also be prepared, if I was the enemy, you would be dead. That ice shield that you made was too weak. You have to be able to make them strong in a moment's notice," said Haruka as she moved toward the two girls. **'I may seem harsh, but it's for the best.'**

"Let's do it again," said Michiru as she got up.

"I can do it. I might not do it right away, but I can do it," said Ami as she stood up.

"Then let's go again!" said Haruka as they all got into their stances. And when a leaf that was falling from a nearby tree finally hit the ground, they moved.

_**~That Night~**_

After a long day, the ninja and Tazuna's family were together, eating inner. Luckily for everyone, they had a big enough table. Tazuna sat at one end of the table with Inari to his left and Kakashi on his right. On Inari's left sat Rei, followed by Michiru and then Sasuke. To Kakashi's right sat Haruka, then Ami, then Naruto. Usagi sat at the other end of the table.

"Hahahaha. Hey, this is fantastic," said Tazuna as he rubbed his head. "It's been ages since we've had so many guests around out table."

"Do you need me to sneak you some food later?" asked Haruka as she leaned into Kakashi. **'I'm surprised he doesn't seem to mind how touchy I can be at times.'**

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," he said as he turned to her and smiled.

"If you say so. But you aren't eating, and you need your strength," she said with a glare. Kakashi began to sweat.

"Maybe some extra food would be nice."

"That's what I thought," said Haruka with a smile. **'I don't give a damn about his face. I just need him at full strength.'**

"I want some more!" yelled Naruto and Sasuke together.

"And I want you both to sit your asses down, shut up, and eat like normal people," said Haruka, not missing a beat. She then turned to the two boys, who both began to sweat. "And if you puke, I'm gonna make you guys do such an intense training that your future children are going to feel it."

"Yes ma'am!" yelled the two boys as they sat down and looked at their bowls, trying to hold down the food.

_**~A Few Minutes Later~**_

After dinner, everyone was drinking some tea.

"How do you manage to do that and not choke?" asked Haruka as she looked at Kakashi with his finished cup.

"Do what?" he asked with a smile. Haruka smiled back at him.

"Choke on a fist," she said with her smile. Kakashi chuckled nervously. While the Genin laughed or chuckled at him.

"Excuse me, why is this picture torn?" asked Usagi as she looked at a torn picture.

"You kept glancing at it all through dinner, Inari," said Rei as she looked at the young boy. "It looks like there used to be another person in the picture."

Kakashi and Haruka looked at each other as Inari, Tazuna, and Tsunami all tensed up.

"It's my husband," said Tsunami as she continued to clean the dishes.

"They used to call him a hero in this land," said Tazuna. Inari then got up.

"Inari, where are you going?" asked Tsunami as Inari walked out the door. She went to follow him but glared at her father before she walked out. "Father, you can't talk about him like that in front of Inari, you know that."

"What happened?" asked Michiru in confusion.

"Hmm. Is there a story behind this?" asked Kakashi as they all looked at Tazuna.

"He wasn't his real father. He came into our family later. And he brought so much happiness," said Tazuna with a strained voice. "He and Inari were very close. In those days, Inari used to laugh all the time. But then, all that ended."

Everyone watched in shock as Tazuna began to cry. The Jonin were the only ones able to hide their emotions.

"He never laughs or smiles anymore, ever since the day everything changed," said Tazuna as he took a deep breath. "The word courage was stolen from this island. We were left feeling powerless, hopeless, and Inari suffered the most, ever since that day, ever since it happened."

"Tell us," said Haruka. "What happened to Inari?"

"First, you need to know about the man, his father. The man who taught us the word courage, who was a hearo in this land," said Tazuna as he took off his glasses to wipe his eyes.

"A hero, really?" asked Naruto in surprise.

"You can decide that for yourself. He came here about three years ago," said Tazuna as he told them of the story of how Inari almost drowned and was saved by his father. "His name was Kaiza. A simple fisherman who'd come here from another land to follow his dreams. After that, Inari and Kaiza were inseparable. The boy had never known his real father, so you can imagine what it meant to him to have Kaiza in his life. He looked up to him and followed in his footsteps, like a real father and son.

"Kaiza spent more and more time with us, until he just naturally became a member of our family. And then when this town needed him, he became something more."

Tazuna told the group how Kaiza saved the village and became its hero.

"From that time on, Kaiza was considered a hero in this land. He taught us all the meaning of courage, and Inari was so proud to be his son. But it wasn't long after that, that Gato showed up and took over. He terrorized the whole village. Only Kaiza stood up to him. Gato couldn't have a local hero getting in his way. It took his whole gang to stop one man."

The Genin listened in shock to the gruesome details of Kaiza's execution. The Jonin, used to this, simply looked on as the story continued.

"Since then, Inari has changed. So did Tsunami and all our people. We lost our will."

After a few moments sitting in silence, Naruto got up, only to fall over.

"Are you okay, Naruto?" asked Ami in concern.

"You better take the day off," said Kakashi to his student. "No more training, you've used too much chakra. If you push any harder, it could kill you."

"I'm gonna prove it," said Naruto as he struggled to get up.

"Prove what?" asked Usagi, confused. Naruto managed to get to his feet, thought it was shaky.

"I'll prove that. . . that it's true. That in this world, there are real heroes," declared Naruto, shocking everyone.

'**Even though I know some of these things are going to happen. I know what they might say or do. It's still a shock to see it in person. I know that Naruto will do great, but will it be the same as in the story or far greater,'** thought Haruka as she watched the Genin.


	18. Author Note

Hello everyone,

I'm sorry for the few updates. I think you all deserve to know why and what will happen now.

I suffer from an anxiety disorder, depression, and PTSD. Sometimes it gets the best of me. I work on these stories to help me focus on fun and positives. Your comments and love for the stories makes me continue them, though I would still work on them regardless since they help me feel relaxed.

This pandemic hit my family hard. My brother and I both lost our job and my mom got reduced hours (she's a home health nurse and people don't want outside people coming into their homes). My anxiety and depression hit hard, and I tried to throw myself into my stories but couldn't concentrate for long.

My family is doing better now, and I have a job, but its very physically demanding and I feel so exhausted after a while. Even so, I will try to write chapter.

My schedule for now won't be set, but what I am doing is trying to find inspiration again. To do that, I will go over the stories and re-write chapters as well as translate them into Spanish, since that makes me go over everything with a fine-tooth comb. I want to add more details to some and change things around.

The order will be:

Who Knew? (plus, movie)

I will update chapters to add more dueling since I didn't do it like I do for Duel School. I will also be fixing grammar and spelling mistakes.

I will be posting a Spanish version. Please note that Spanish is my second language, but I have friends who I'm sure I can get to just push me in the right direction. They are busy in school so it may take a while to make sure these chapters are right, but they will be posted eventually.

Duel School

I will revise and update chapters

Translate to Spanish

The Angel series

Revise and update chapters

Write the companion stories

Translate to Spanish

The Love You series

Revise and update chapters

Translate to Spanish

After this note I will be posting an updated note with new and improved chapters (i.e. Chapters 1 updated and translated).

Thank you.


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